Overview
- The Department for Transport, which put new rules in place Friday, cut permit fees from up to £1,000 to about £45 and replaced a slower licensing step with simple street works permits.
- Operators no longer need a ‘section 50’ licence under amended Traffic Management Permit Scheme rules, and they can now apply through Street Manager for faster approvals.
- ChargeUK called the change a very positive move but urged action on energy and standing charges, VAT parity with home charging, and a stable zero‑emission vehicle mandate to unlock faster investment.
- Ministers say the network will grow toward 300,000 public chargers by 2030, backed by more than £600 million and building on roughly 118,000 to 119,000 devices now in place.
- A first‑tier tribunal ruled on February 27 that public charging should get the 5% VAT rate used for home charging, and the sector is watching for a decision as EV uptake hits records with 86,120 March registrations.