Council announces £20m investment in green vehicles

A local authority has announced a multi-million pound investment into environmentally friendly vehicles across its fleet.

The £20m Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council scheme will see the authority replace vehicles reaching the end of their life with lower carbon alternatives.

It is the second stage of the council's plan to make its fleet greener, and will see 280 new vehicles purchased over the next three years.

The investment means residents will "benefit from lower carbon emissions", BCP Council said.

Andy Hadley, the authority's environment chief, said the scheme marked a "significant step" towards its plan to be carbon neutral by 2030.

"Phase Two of this scheme will allow the council to build on its successful first phase and will place BCP amongst leading councils in transitioning towards operating a green fleet," he said.

"This new investment ensures we can continue to deliver on our promise of making Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole a better place for everyone."

Phase one of the council's scheme began in 2021 with seven electric bin lorries and 67 electric vans.

The authority said it had so far resulted in annual carbon emissions being cut by 250 tonnes every year.

It operates more than 600 vehicles across BCP, and said it anticipated that around a quarter of these will be electric by 2028.

BCP Council's Cabinet unanimously approved the scheme's funding at a meeting on Wednesday.

The final decision will be considered at a full council meeting in the coming weeks.

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