SKIPTON and Ripon MP Julian Smith says he has welcomed the expansion of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding for the county.

It was announced last week that North Yorkshire is seeing an expansion to the original Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure pilot scheme, bringing funding for electric vehicle chargepoints in the area to £3.6 million.

Mr Smith said the government announcement will help move the UK’s transport system toward decarbonisation, as the funding commitment will give local authorities support to install thousands of new chargers across North Yorkshire and the rest of the UK.

The scheme is backed with £22 million of government funding for the pilot areas, along with £17 million of private funding, and £2 million from public funds across local authorities.

This will enable local authorities to work with private business and chargepoint operators to drive the sustainable growth of local networks, building and delivering the most ambitious chargepoint plans for their area.

Mr Smith said: "It is great that after the success of the original Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure pilot, North Yorkshire is receiving further funding, bringing the total for electric vehicle chargepoints to £3.6 million. This is an excellent scheme to help decarbonise our roads in North Yorkshire."