Nearly a quarter of a million pounds has been granted to a council to provide electric vehicle charging points.

This was revealed as Dover district councillors discussed the authority's first ever climate change action plan.

Amanda Martin, council climate change and energy conservation officer, said: "We have been awarded £224,270 for 49 points on separate sites."

The money has come from the government's Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.

The authority's cabinet yesterday (Monday) unanimously voted the strategy through in an online meeting.

Cllr Chris Vinson said: "We are seeking to tackle a generational challenge. This is not something we can fix overnight."

Dover District Council has prioritised upgrading homes to make them more energy efficient and to reduce reliance on fossil fuel power.

The administration has revealed that about 460,000 tonnes of C02 were emitted from its own estate in 2018, which includes motor vehicles, gas and electric power.

It is the rough equivalent of 90,000 cars on the road driven for a 12-month period. One of the main sources relates to council bin collection vehicles.

Dover council, along with the majority of Kent’s 13 councils, is identifying the resources it will need to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Under its plans, Dover council has vowed to “decarbonise” its building stock, including its headquarters at White Cliffs Business Park in Whitfield.

As the local planning authority, it has also imposed a range of eco-friendly conditions on applications to build homes.

It has asked developers to construct them with low-carbon materials and to increase the number of electric car charging points near people’s houses.

More green spaces will also be created, with some disused garages of former East Kent Housing stock in Dover being replaced with trees and shrubbery.

Councillors also agreed to set aside £475,000 to finance future schemes.

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