A free electric charging service as well a £150,000 grant for new points in Ipswich will be scrapped.

On Tuesday, Ipswich Borough Council revealed it costs £90,000 a year to run the 32 free-to-use EV charging points in the town - an expense they can no longer keep up with.

At its executive meeting, the council decided that from February 2025 they will begin to charge customers for this service - at a price yet to be decided. 

Cllr Riley said these things have a cost.Cllr Riley said: "these things have a price." (Image: Nicole Drury/IBC)

Portfolio holder for culture and customers Cllr Jane Riley said: "These things have a price, and giving free EV charging points is not affordable for the council anymore."

She was backed by the whole executive team, including Cllr Ian Fisher, leader of the Conservatives, who said: "I think the people EVs are of people who are better off and so could afford the prices."

He added that the money could instead be used to subsidise bus services and give people who need help to get to the town centre additional support. 

The council have also reject a grant for 14 more charging points.The council have also rejected a grant for 14 more charging points. (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

On top of this, Cllr Riley also suggested declining the £150,360 grant from the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) to add 14 new points in seven different car parks. 

She said that the conditions and requirements of the grant, such as the amount of electricity needed at each point, are not viable for the council.

Of the current 32 charging points in the town, 27 are in Crown Street car park.

Cllr FisherCllr Fisher said the council should look more into the financial implications of any grant. (Image: Archant)

While agreeing to this Cllr Fisher added that in the future the council should look at the financial implications of every grant before approving it.

He said: "We cannot just jump in quickly and base decisions on what we want to happen than what may actually happen."