Council seeks partner to expand public EV charging network
Bracknell Forest Council has approved plans to appoint a strategic delivery partner who will install, operate and expand the borough's public electric vehicle charging network. The decision, taken at an Executive meeting on 29 October, represents a shift from the council's current approach of managing smaller numbers of chargepoints directly. Instead, the council intends to hand over existing assets and future deployment to a single organisation capable of building infrastructure at scale.
The appointment is scheduled for spring 2027. Between now and then, potential partners will submit bids setting out how they would develop charging facilities across residential streets, car parks, destination sites and rapid-charging hubs. The successful bidder will also be expected to manage the council's existing network, which currently comprises almost 50 fast and rapid chargepoints located in council-operated car parks.
For businesses operating in Bracknell Forest, this matters for several reasons. Transport accounts for a significant share of local emissions, and the council's 2025 to 2030 Climate Change Strategy identifies EV charging rollout as a priority action. Companies tendering for council contracts may face growing expectations around fleet electrification. Similarly, businesses that rely on visitors, deliveries or staff who travel by car will need to consider how charging access affects recruitment, customer convenience and logistics planning.
The commercial implications extend beyond council procurement. A well-functioning public charging network can reduce the operational friction of running electric vehicles, particularly for businesses whose employees lack home charging. Conversely, patchy or unreliable infrastructure creates cost and complexity that can delay fleet transitions and complicate compliance with environmental commitments.
Why Bracknell Forest is moving to a partnership model
The council has been installing public chargers for several years. During 2024 to 2025, six new charging points were added, bringing the total to almost 50 across council car parks. Those chargers recorded 6,385 charging events during the year, according to the council's climate progress report. The council has also used government grant funding to install chargers in 14 community car parks, specifically to support residents without off-street parking.
However, the council's own statements indicate that managing this infrastructure directly has proven challenging. One council statement quoted in the Bracknell News said the authority had learned valuable lessons from its initial smaller-scale provision and was now ready to scale up through a strategic partnership. The implication is that a specialist operator can deliver faster installation, better maintenance, more consistent customer service and greater financial sustainability than the council can achieve on its own.
There are practical reasons why this might be the case. Installing chargepoints requires not only purchasing equipment but also securing electricity connections, obtaining planning approvals, negotiating land agreements, arranging payment systems and maintaining hardware. The council's recent experience with a proposed charging hub at the London Road landfill site illustrates the complexity. Feasibility work was completed for a hub that would have included battery storage and solar generation. Nevertheless, the council received a grid connection cost estimate of £1.63 million from SSEN, the local distribution network operator. The project could not proceed without external funding or an alternative connection model involving an independent distribution network operator.
A private partner with experience across multiple local authorities may be better placed to navigate these obstacles. Such organisations often have existing relationships with network operators, established procurement frameworks for equipment and software, and the financial capacity to invest in infrastructure before revenue is generated. They may also be able to spread costs and risks across a wider portfolio of sites.
Residential charging and the question of equitable access
One of the council's stated priorities is to support residents who cannot charge at home. This is not a niche concern. Many households in Bracknell Forest live in terraced housing, flats or streets where on-street parking is the norm. For these residents, switching to an electric vehicle is often impractical without access to reliable public charging close to home.
The inequality is stark. A household with a driveway can install a home charger and pay off-peak electricity rates, often reducing the cost per mile to a fraction of petrol or diesel. A household that depends on public charging typically pays higher rates, faces greater inconvenience and may struggle to find available chargepoints during peak times. The result is that the transition to electric vehicles risks becoming easier and cheaper for some groups than others, particularly those who already own property with private parking.
Bracknell Forest's emphasis on on-street charging is therefore significant. The council's guidance identifies on-street provision in suitable residential areas as part of a mixed network that also includes destination charging, rapid and ultra-rapid facilities, and potential charging hubs. Its 2026 to 2027 action plan refers to delivering on-street chargepoints in collaboration with the private sector using funding from the government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure programme, known as LEVI.
For businesses, this has several implications. Companies with employees who live in areas without home charging may find that recruitment and retention are affected if public infrastructure remains inadequate. Fleet operators considering electric vehicles will need to assess whether drivers can charge conveniently, both at home and during working hours. Retailers and leisure operators may also find that providing workplace or destination charging becomes a competitive advantage, particularly if public provision remains uneven.
There is also a compliance angle. Organisations bidding for public sector contracts are increasingly required to demonstrate carbon reduction plans. The government's Procurement Policy Note 06/21, known as PPN 06/21, requires suppliers bidding for central government contracts above £5 million per year to publish a carbon reduction plan. While Bracknell Forest is a local authority rather than a central government department, similar expectations are spreading across the public sector. Businesses that can show credible progress on fleet electrification, supported by reliable charging infrastructure, will be better positioned to meet these requirements.
How the proposed network would be structured
The council's procurement documents and strategy papers indicate that the eventual network will combine several types of charging infrastructure. Residential or on-street chargers are intended for overnight use by people who park near their homes. Destination chargers are located at car parks, shopping centres, leisure facilities and workplaces, where vehicles remain parked for an hour or more. Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are designed for drivers who need a quick top-up during longer journeys or who cannot leave their vehicle parked for extended periods.
The council has also mentioned charging hubs, which concentrate multiple rapid or ultra-rapid chargers in a single location. Hubs can be more efficient than scattering individual chargepoints across streets where installation is expensive or where grid capacity is limited. However, they require drivers to travel to a specific site, which makes them less convenient for routine local use.
Cross-kerb systems, which allow drivers to charge a vehicle parked on the street using a cable that runs from a private property across the pavement, have also been mentioned. These systems can be cheaper and quicker to install than full on-street infrastructure, but they depend on the availability of a nearby property willing to host the connection and may not be suitable for all street layouts.
The partner appointed in 2027 will be expected to deploy a mix of these solutions, taking over the council's existing chargepoints and expanding provision to meet local need. The council's guidance states that its role is to work with chargepoint operators, developers, landowners and other partners to expand provision while ensuring that infrastructure reflects local needs. This suggests that the partner will not have a completely free hand but will be expected to align its commercial decisions with the council's policy objectives.
Grid capacity, planning and delivery timelines
The £1.63 million grid connection estimate for the London Road site is a reminder that installing charging infrastructure is not solely a matter of purchasing equipment. The cost of connecting new chargepoints to the electricity network can vary enormously depending on the capacity available in the local substation, the distance from the nearest suitable connection point, and the amount of civil engineering required.
In some cases, a distribution network operator may require reinforcement of the local network before new demand can be accommodated. This can add months or years to a project timeline and introduce costs that are difficult to predict at the outset. The government's LEVI fund is intended to help local authorities overcome some of these barriers by providing capital grants for infrastructure that would otherwise be uneconomical. However, the fund is competitive and does not cover all costs.
Planning approval can also be a bottleneck. While many chargepoints can be installed under permitted development rights, larger installations, hubs and sites in conservation areas may require full planning consent. There may also be objections from residents concerned about visual impact, pavement obstruction, noise from cooling fans or the loss of parking spaces.
Businesses considering their own charging infrastructure will face similar challenges. A warehouse operator looking to install chargers for a delivery fleet may discover that the site's existing electricity supply is inadequate and that upgrading it requires costly network reinforcement. A retail park owner may find that installing rapid chargers requires planning consent and coordination with multiple tenants. These are not insurmountable problems, but they require careful project management and realistic timelines.
What Bracknell Forest's decision signals for the region
Bracknell Forest is not the only local authority pursuing a strategic charging partnership. Across the UK, councils are recognising that they lack the resources, expertise and risk appetite to build large-scale charging networks without private-sector involvement. Consequently, similar procurement processes are underway in other areas, often supported by LEVI funding.
This creates a market for specialist chargepoint operators, network developers and energy companies. It also creates a degree of standardisation, since many of these partnerships involve similar contractual structures, performance requirements and technology platforms. For businesses operating across multiple local authorities, that standardisation can reduce complexity. A fleet manager whose drivers cover several regions may find it easier to manage charging if the same operator is active in multiple areas and uses compatible payment systems.
However, there is also a risk that less commercially attractive areas are overlooked. A private operator will prioritise sites that generate sufficient revenue to cover installation and operating costs. High-traffic destinations, major roads and areas with affluent residents are likely to be more attractive than quiet residential streets or rural locations. The council's role in any partnership is therefore to ensure that coverage is equitable and that the network serves public policy goals as well as commercial ones.
Bracknell Forest's climate strategy aims to reduce net borough emissions to zero as close to 2030 as possible. Transport is identified as a priority area, and the strategy lists EV charging rollout as a specific action alongside improvements to public transport, active travel and exploration of new mobility models such as car clubs. The success of the charging partnership will therefore be measured not only by the number of chargepoints installed but also by how effectively those chargepoints support a wider shift away from petrol and diesel vehicles.
Charging infrastructure facts for Bracknell Forest
- The council currently operates almost 50 fast and rapid chargepoints in council-managed car parks across the borough.
- During 2024 to 2025, six new charging points were installed and the network recorded 6,385 charging events.
- Government grant funding has supported installation in 14 community car parks, specifically to help residents without off-street parking.
- A feasibility study for a charging hub at the London Road landfill site identified a grid connection cost of £1.63 million.
- The council is using funding from the government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure programme to support on-street charging delivery.
- The strategic delivery partner is expected to be appointed by spring 2027 and will take over existing assets while expanding the network.
- Bracknell Forest's Climate Change Strategy 2025 to 2030 aims to reduce net borough emissions to zero as close to 2030 as possible, with transport identified as a priority area.
What businesses should consider now
The appointment of a strategic partner will take time, and meaningful expansion of the network is unlikely before 2028. In the meantime, businesses that operate in or serve Bracknell Forest should assess how charging access affects their operations.
Fleet operators should review the charging needs of their vehicles and drivers. If your fleet includes electric vehicles or you are planning a transition, consider whether drivers can charge at home, at depots or at public locations. If public charging is essential, map the current network and identify gaps. Understanding these gaps now will help you anticipate how future infrastructure might reduce operational friction or enable faster electrification.
Businesses tendering for council contracts should also pay attention to evolving environmental requirements. While PPN 06/21 applies directly to central government procurement, local authorities are increasingly adopting similar standards. Having a credible carbon reduction plan that includes fleet electrification can strengthen your position in competitive bids. Our net-zero program for carbon reporting compliance helps businesses prepare these plans and demonstrate progress to procurement teams.
Employers with staff who commute by car may find that providing workplace charging becomes a recruitment or retention tool, particularly if employees live in areas without home charging. Installing chargers at your premises can support staff who have already switched to electric vehicles and can signal commitment to sustainability. However, workplace charging also introduces questions about costs, access policies, electricity capacity and whether charging is a taxable benefit. These details are manageable but need planning.
Property owners and developers should consider how charging infrastructure affects the attractiveness and future-proofing of commercial sites. Retail parks, business parks, leisure facilities and office developments may all benefit from destination charging. In some cases, providing charging can differentiate a site from competitors or meet tenant expectations. The cost of retrofitting charging infrastructure is generally higher than incorporating it into new developments, so early planning is advisable.
Finally, businesses should monitor the council's procurement process and the eventual contract terms. The terms will determine how the network is priced, maintained and expanded. They will also reveal whether the partner is required to prioritise equitable coverage, renewable energy sources or integration with other council services. These details will shape how useful the network is for businesses and residents over the next decade.
Where to find further information
Bracknell Forest Council publishes updates on its climate strategy and charging plans through its website. The council's climate change pages include the 2025 to 2030 strategy, progress reports and action plans. Guidance on charging provision, including the council's role and priorities, is available in the council's electric vehicle charging information.
The government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure programme is administered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Details of the fund, eligibility criteria and application guidance are available on the LEVI fund pages on GOV.UK.
For businesses assessing their own carbon reduction requirements, the government's guidance on Procurement Policy Note 06/21 is published on GOV.UK. The guidance explains how carbon reduction plans should be structured and what information suppliers are expected to provide.
Further support on fleet electrification, carbon reporting and sustainable procurement is available through our compliance services for ESG and carbon reporting. We work with businesses across the UK to prepare carbon reduction plans, assess fleet transitions and meet public sector procurement requirements.