OLDHAM has come under fire for appearing to have no firm plans to install on-street electric vehicle (EV) chargers ahead of the UK’s slow move towards making the internal combustion engine obsolete.

The criticism has come from energy and services giant Centrica which has identified the town as one of 126 local authorities with no concrete plans to install on-street electric vehicle chargers in the near future.

Its new research has revealed that councils across the country are planning to install an average of only 35 on-street chargers between now and 2025.

In Oldham there are currently no on-street EV chargers.

However, Oldham Council moved swiftly to respond to the criticism.

A spokesperson said: “In Greater Manchester, investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

“The Be.EV network is operated by Amey, which is upgrading and adding to the network.

“TfGM will be introducing Be.EV electric charging points for use only by taxi and private hire drivers, including Oldham, and has recently been consulting on potential locations, with a view to installing a cluster of three chargers in each local authority area, including Oldham, with funding secured from the government’s office for low emission vehicles.

“We are currently working with TfGM and the other Greater Manchester councils to determine how best to meet the demand for electric vehicle charging points across the city region to support the transition to electric vehicles by private car drivers.”

The research commissioned by Centrica under a Freedom of Information request to over 400 councils showed that there are 7,682 on-street chargers currently installed across the UK and only a further 9,317 are planned to be rolled out over the next four years.

This leaves drivers without a driveway and those who have no access to home charging, a long way behind in the race to switch to EVs in time for the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel models, it said.

Out of drivers who do not have a driveway or off-street parking, just 7 per cent already have an EV, less than a quarter (24 per cent) are considering switching.