Sheffield Lib Dems raise concern around electric charging point vandalism

Sheffield Lib Dems have raised their concerns around the vandalism of electric charging points in the city, after finding that the charging cables on Council machines in Attercliffe had been hacked off and stolen.

The crime has been spreading around the country, with reports of similar vandalism in Oxford and Bournemouth, and electric vehicle owners reporting increases in cable theft.

Cllr Shaffaq Mohammad, leader of Sheffield Lib Dems, raised the concerns at a meeting of the Strategy and Resources committee. Speaking to Council officers, he said "I want to encourage more charging points in Attercliffe, particularly considering its regeneration and levelling up funding. This might just be a bit of vandalism, but we want to attract more sophisticated industry to Attercliffe than the old historic smog that the likes of my father and grandfather came here to work in."

Sheffield City Council currently provides rapid electric vehicle chargers in Council car parks and on street spaces around the city, which allow residents to upgrade to an electric vehicle without the need for a home charging station.

The electric charging point scheme supports the Council's declaration of a Climate Emergency and aims to reach carbon net zero by 2030, and the Council is currently working on agreeing an EV charging point infrastructure plan and expanding its provision of the vital infrastructure.

Lib Dem councillor Joe Otten, chair of the Waste and Street Scene committee, concurred. Speaking at the committee, he said "Clearly, if the machines are being vandalised and they're in insecure locations, then it's going to be a maintenance challenge. Please can transport and mayoral colleagues think about the security of the location when they're installing electric charging points. For a few pounds worth of metal, we're losing an asset to the City which is worth a great deal more than that and doing a massive amount of good for the environment".