EV charging points by law

New homes will soon need to have EV charging points by law

From next year, the prime minister has announced homes and buildings in England will be required by law to install electric vehicle charging points.

The government said the move will see up to 145,000 charging points installed across the country each year.

New-build supermarkets, workplaces and buildings undergoing major renovations will also come under the new law.

The move comes as England aims to switch to electric cars, with new petrol and diesel cars sales banned from 2030.

Announcing the new laws at the Confederation of British Industry's conference on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United Kingdom was going to "radically" change it\s cars, trucks, buses and other modes of transport.

"The force driving that change won't be government, it won't even be business...it will be the consumer. It will be the young people of today, who can see the consequences of climate change and will be demanding better from us." But Labour said the announcement does not address the "appalling" geographical divide in available charging points.

"London and the South East have more public car charging points than the rest of England and Wales combined. Yet there is nothing here to help address this.

"Nor is there help so lower and middle income families can afford electric vehicles or the investment required to build the gigafactories we need," Labour said. The government said the new laws will "make it as easy as refuelling a petrol or diesel car today". It said "simpler ways to pay" to charge vehicles through contactless payments would also be introduced at "all new fast and rapid charge points".

We currently has about 25,000 charging points in the UK, but the Competition and Markets Authority has said it could need 10 times as many before 2030. The switch to electric vehicles is part of the UK's strategy to hit climate targets, with cars and taxis accounting for 16% of UK emissions in 2019.

Several major car manufacturers, such as Jaguar and Volvo plan to go all electric from 2025 and 2030 and Ford said in an online statement all vehicles sold in Europe will be electric by 2030. However, there was four of the world's biggest carmakers, Volkswagen, Toyota, Renault-Nissan and Hyundai-Kia failed to sign a COP 26 summit pledge to only sell zero emissions cars and vans by 2035.

UK electric car sales are growing, with about 10% of cars sold in 2020 being electric, up from 2.5% in 2018.

But concerns have been raised about the lack of charging infrastructure. The Policy Exchange think tank has warned the rollout of charging points has fallen behind and said there is a risk of “charging blackspots” in small towns and rural areas unless it speeds up. MPs on the Transport Select Committee have also said online that people must be protected from excessive pricing for public electric car charging, with home charging being much cheaper. Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, welcomed the government’s announcement, adding that electric vehicles had a “significant role to play in building a zero-carbon future”.

“New housing should also include secure cycle storage and access to high quality public transport, to provide real alternatives to driving and help cut congestion,” Mr Childs added.

Along with its announcement on charging points, the government also confirmed almost £10m will fund a new hydrogen project at the UK’s largest onshore windfarm near Glasgow.

The cash injection will help the Whitelee green hydrogen project develop the UK’s largest electrolyser, a system which converts water into hydrogen gas as a way to store energy and supply local transport providers with zero-carbon fuel.

Has your property gone up in price?

Westerleigh Crematorium makes donation to volunteer-run baby-loss charity

The Bristol branch of a national stillbirth and neonatal death charity has received a £3,000 donation towards its vital work from Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium. With the consent of families, metals recovered during cremation are recycled and any money raised is used to support local worthy causes. Bristol Sands was chosen as the latest recipient for a donation from Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium in the aftermath of Baby Loss Awareness Week, which took place in October. Westerleigh Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 35 sites in England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully-landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect. Each of Westerleigh Group’s crematoria gets to choose which local organisations to donate money to from its metal recycling scheme. Shaun Chapman-Young, Site Manager of Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium, said: “The loss of any loved one is a difficult and distressing time for those they leave behind, but the loss of a baby can be particularly heart-breaking.

“Organisations like Bristol Sands do vital work to support those families and it is an honour for us to be able to provide the charity with this donation.” Hilary Sturgeon, Bristol Sands Treasurer, said: “This donation is greatly appreciated. We run on a completely voluntary basis and try to meet the core aims in our area.

“We support anyone who has been affected by the loss of a baby, whether recently or long ago, whether before, during or soon after birth.

“The volunteers at Bristol Sands have all suffered the tragic loss of a much-loved baby, so we know how it feels; the grief, the isolation, the intense emotions.

“No one but another bereaved parent can truly understand the feelings of loss and despair, which is why the support we offer is so important to all the bereaved parents who we talk to and meet.

“We provide emotional support, remembrance events and memory making events as well as funding training for hospitals and specific projects such as refurbishments of rooms used by bereaved parents.

“Once again, many thanks for your donation which will help us continue to support anyone who needs us following the loss of a baby.”

Shaun added: “We welcome invitations for support from any local charities or organisations which work to support our communities in some way.

“Organisations which would benefit from a donation from our metal recycling fund should contact me, tell me about themselves and what they do, and we will consider their application.”

ECO VAN SPARES

Bristol’s Transit & Commercial Vehicle Spares Specialist Cars Vans Lorries WANTED FOR CASH FREE COLLECTION

Unit 17, Bakers Park Cater Park Bishopsworth Bristol, BS13 7TT Tel: 0117 9781919

ECOVANSPARES.COM

www.gasproboilers.co.uk

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE EVERYTIME PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEERS ALL PLUMBING & GAS WORK UNDERTAKEN

BOILER INSTALLATIONS BOILER REPAIRS POWER FLUSHING UNVENTED SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS BATHROOM INSTALLATIONS 505353

FULLY INSURED

RECOMENDED

INTEREST FREE CREDIT & 10YR WARRANTY ON NEW BOILER INSTALLATION Tel: Nathan Proud 07830 448127

thegaspro@gmail.com

Why Move When You Can Improve?

Call In The Experts To Get Your Home

Improvments Under Way Today!

Plastering Extentions Decorating Carpentry Kitchens & Bathroom Fittings & more..

A L&

BUILDING

SERVICES Tel: 01173 257790 or 01275 595790 E: allen@alsconstructionservices.co.uk W: www.alsconstructionservices.co.uk 10b high St Shirehampton Bristol, BS11 0DP

Your Garden In December

Most gardeners tend to think that everything in the garden is dormant in December. While this does tend to be the case there are still crops, plants and wildlife to protect from any winter frosts. The lawn will need to be kept clear of any remaining leaves and patio containers will need raising to avoid them sitting in the wet. The beginning of the month, however, will probably be dedicated to decorating the Christmas tree. For many people this is an essential part of their festive traditions and there’s nothing quite like a real Christmas tree to decorate a room and fill the home with that nostalgic seasonal aroma...

CHOOSING A CHRISTMAS TREE

There are several types of Christmas tree to choose from and if you’ve never had one before it can be hard to decide which will be best.

Nordmann Fir - this is the top choice for real indoor Christmas trees and has excellent needle retention. The lush, glossy, rich green needles are soft and dense making it easy to decorate and the strong branches will support your lights and decorations to create a stunning display. They quite often have a wide base, making a perfect place to hide presents! Norway Spruce - the ‘traditional’ Christmas tree. Strong branches make for easy decorating, although the needles can tend to be fairly sharp. If you are choosing this tree it is best kept outside for as long as possible before bringing it into a cool room to help with needle retention.

Potted/pot Grown Trees

Most people buy cut Christmas trees, but it is possible to buy ‘potted’ or ‘pot grown’ trees. If you want to keep your tree after Christmas to pot on or plant in the garden always ask for a pot-grown tree. Potted Christmas trees have usually been grown in the ground and then dug up and potted with a few roots.

LOOKING GOOD THIS MONTH.. MAHONIA

They generally won’t last much longer than a well cared for cut tree, and usually won’t establish in the garden afterwards. Pot grown trees have been grown in the pot and so many are more likely to be successful for growing on from year to year.

Why should you plant them?

Striking winter foliage, fragrant lily-of-thevalley aroma and beautiful yellow blooms - it’s not difficult to see why the Mahonia is such a well-respected addition to a winter garden.

How should you plant them?

Mahonia are very low maintenance shrubs but a small amount of attention will ensure that they perform to the best of their abilities - an annual prune is sufficient to keep them in check. By nature they are adapted to woodland conditions so plant in partial to full shade however they will grow well in a variety of soil conditions including clay, chalk and even sand.