A brand-new £2.1 million council partnership is set to bring a series of new EV charging points to Worcestershire. 

Around 120 chargers are set to be welcomed across 33 locations in the area after Redditch Borough Council teamed up with Bromsgrove District Council to agree on a long-term contract with EV infrastructure provider Zest. 

Zest, which is backed by the government-sponsored Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), will invest about £2.1 million to provide the new infrastructure for the next 15 to 20 years after winning the contract. 

Councillor Gemma Monaco said: "We’re delighted to deliver on a commitment we made to our residents and businesses to boost EV charger availability in Redditch by adding more chargers on our land.

"It's something that more and more people are demanding, and the more we can support people to choose electric the better, not least because lower vehicle emissions means better air quality. We’re very interested in what we might be able to do next in other council-owned places including in residential areas." 

Zest will also provide, operate and maintain the chargers with no costs for the councils which are providing the land for the chargers to go on for the duration of the deal. 

A rollout plan is now being developed and the first of the new chargers are expected to be installed before spring. 

Whilst mostly adding more chargers to council car parks, adding to 13 existing ones, the contract will also bring chargers to the councils' main workplaces. 

Zest CEO, Robin Heap, said: "We're delighted to win this large, forward-thinking contract, one of the first of its kind in the West Midlands. 

"Growing a network that makes charging easy, convenient and reliable helps make the shift to EV a realistic option for everyone. Where councils and commercial landowners have the vision, we have the skills and the funding to make things happen quickly. ”

Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Matt Dormer, added: "It's important that the council do what we can where we can and show leadership on supporting the growing need for more EV infrastructure. 

"Of course, transport transcends district boundaries, and so we were pleased to work together with Bromsgrove on the initial work so we could secure a bigger, better, investment for everyone."