Major motoring law plans could see largest upgrades 'in a generation' as 'Britain's drivers deserve better'

Labour has set out plans to continue helping drivers with new rules that could see more electric vehicle chargers installed, roads made safer and a cut to disruptive road works.

As part of its manifesto, Labour said it will set new targets to accelerate the rollout of public chargers around the country.

This could potentially see an updated goal after fears the initial target of 300,000 chargers installed by 2030 would be missed.

It would also support local authorities in making better use of charge point funding by providing better guidance on its use.

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Electric vehicle charging

Keir Starmer's party has promised to review the effectiveness of existing funds to ensure investment is targeted at the right areas, possibly including the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund.

Another major issue with companies looking to install more chargers is planning barriers, which Labour is also planning to scrap.

The manifesto pledges: "Remove barriers to securing grid connections and facilitate the largest upgrade to our national transmission infrastructure in a generation."

In response to the pledges, Quentin Willson, founder of FairCharge, said every driver would be relieved to see Labour's promises to make roads safer and boost EV uptake.

He said: "They understand that car insurance costs are too high, road infrastructure building and repairs aren’t fast enough and that the electric vehicle charging rollout needs to be quicker.

"Our productivity depends on our roads. After 14 years in the slow lane, Britain’s drivers deserve better."

Labour said it would also introduce a new road safety strategy to reduce traffic deaths and injuries on the road, saying that the Conservatives had not focused enough on curbing the trend.

Between 1997 and 2010, the Labour Government halved the number of people killed on roads each year, whereas the Conservatives only saw an 11 per cent reduction between the years of 2010 and 2023.

A new Strategic Framework for Road Safety would also be delivered, with Labour again saying that the Tories had not made progress on the issue despite claiming it would do so.

While Labour has already outlined its pothole pledges, the party said it would end the "sticking plaster approach" to road repairs.

This would be done by providing multi-year funding settlements to local leaders, changing the way local authorities repair roads.

This will help them support drivers and deliver longer-lasting repairs to local roads, prevent potholes from forming in the first place and provide better value for money.

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Councillor Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Chair of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities, said: “Local government delivers a huge range of vital services to residents.

"The quality of local roads is of significant importance to residents and councils will be encouraged to see a commitment to tackle the blight of potholes and improve public transport.

“Investing to ensure roads are safe and accessible, alongside effective public transport, is core to public service provision and crucial in tackling wider issues such as poverty, and inequality that come with insecure transport links.”

Labour's Plan for Drivers

Funding local authorities to fix one million more potholes per year

Tackling soaring car insurance costs

Breaking down planning barriers

Accelerating the electric vehicle charging rollout

Reducing traffic

A new road safety strategy