The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) met to discuss the rollout of the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy, and to receive an update on domestic retrofit programmes. The board also reviewed and updated its work programme for the coming year, adding items on employment, apprenticeships and City Centre North.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy

The board reviewed the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) Strategy, which had recently been endorsed by Councillor Jim O'Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change. The strategy sets out how Coventry will increase electric vehicle (EV) charge points to meet the demand created by the increasing use of electric vehicles.

The EVCI Strategy sits underneath the Coventry Transport Strategy, which was approved in December 2022. It aims to facilitate and lead on the installation of electric vehicle charge points to encourage the transition to electric cars, taxis and vans. The strategy covers the 10 years from 2025 to 2035 and will be updated annually.

Key points of the strategy include:

• The number of hybrid and electric vehicles in Coventry is projected to increase from 4.42% to 49% in the 10 years to 2035.
• 1,686 charge points will be required by 2035. Coventry already has more than this, with over 2,000 charge points installed as of July 2024.
• The council will continue to roll out public on-street electric vehicle charge points in residential areas.
• The council will investigate combining lamppost charging and gully channels[^1] for public charging use. [^1]: A gully channel is a channel across the footpath that will allow people to safely charge their vehicle using their home electricity supply without obstructing the highway for pedestrians.
• The council will progress the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project to create four residential charging hubs.
• The council will support the delivery of the proposed Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) charging hub on the A444 in the north of Coventry.
• The council will work with partners to develop a network of supercharging hubs at strategic locations around the city.

According to the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy - Briefing Note, UK government mandated that all local highway authorities should create an electric vehicle charging strategy.

The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy itself notes that:

Coventry has a history of being innovative and revolutionary in its uptake of new technology, becoming a test bed for addressing a number of fascinating transport challenges.

The strategy sets out the council's vision:

To contribute towards a cleaner, greener future for Coventry by decarbonising the transport network, developing innovative zero-emission transport systems, and by providing the right infrastructure that will enable our residents and businesses to invest in electric and zero-emission vehicles with confidence.

The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy - Appendix 3 - Equality Impact Assessment notes that the strategy has a wide evidence base, and includes maps that highlight focus areas for the rollout of public EV chargepoints. This includes a measure of where individuals may wish to adopt an EV but are unlikely to have off-street parking to install a home chargepoint, ensuring that everyone will have equitable access to chargepoints for electric vehicles.

Domestic Retrofit Update

The board received an update on the council's domestic retrofit programmes. Coventry's Climate Change Strategy (2024-2030) set a goal to reduce carbon emissions across the city, and identified that 30% of the city's carbon emissions come from its 143,000 homes. It is estimated that over 100,000 homes have an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D or below. Latest government data suggests 18.9% of households in Coventry are living in fuel poverty¹. The council has been working with partners to deliver retrofit programmes across Coventry. The eligibility criteria for these projects target those most at risk of fuel poverty: households on low income, with health conditions and living in inefficient homes.

Schemes that are in operation include:

• Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2: This project with Citizen Housing is on track to deliver energy efficiency retrofit to over 2,000 properties by January 2026. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) awarded £23.8 million in grant funding for the programme, which has been co-funded with £44 million by Citizen Housing. Works have been completed on over 1700 homes to date.
• Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) 2: The council supported 51 properties via the HUG2 scheme, totalling £676,906. This project, which is now closed, aimed to support low-income off gas-grid homes that had an energy performance certificate (EPC) between D-G.
• Energy Company Obligation (ECO) 4 & Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS): The council is working with E.ON and Agility Eco to maximise ECO across the city, by enabling the council to sign ECO Flex declarations and supporting with marketing. The council have so far signed over 350 eligible ECO4 Flex declarations, with 113 installs taking place to date.

The council is also working with the University of Warwick on establishing more effective ways of engaging residents and increasing their take up and acceptance of grant offers for retrofit work, through 'Retrofit Rocks'.

The Domestic Retrofit September 2025 Update notes that the council has received an allocation of £3.6 million as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) Devolved Retrofit Pilot to deliver retrofit to privately owned and rented properties. In using these funds, the council is piloting place-based retrofit within Hillfields as part of the Hillfields Neighbourhood Improvement Programme.

Work Programme 2025/26

The board reviewed the schedule of items for meetings over the coming municipal year. The Work Programme 2025/26 was updated to include the following items:

• Employment and Apprenticeships in Coventry – private sector
• City Centre North