COMMERCIAL van drivers could be banned from city council car parks after businesses were spotted charging their vehicles up for free.
Any driver can currently use Southampton City Council's 47 charge points, spread over 17 locations, at no cost other than the normal parking fee.
But the authority - now considering charging drivers and boosting the number of charging points - said businesses doing so are not following the "spirit" of the scheme.
Providing electricity for the charging points currently costs £7,500 a month and this is set to hit £22,500 a month by 2023/24 due to rising energy bills and an increase in the number of drivers using the service.
The spike in use has seen officials call for fees to be brought in to recoup costs.
Car drivers frustrated
A report set to be discussed by councillors said commercial vehicles have caused frustration by "blocking" other drivers.
READ MORE: Southampton could see more electric vehicle charging points
The report said: "Although the uptake in EVs by city businesses should be applauded, this commercial scale of use is not in the spirit of our original 'free to use' offer and some car drivers have expressed their frustration of being blocked from chargers due to the presence of commercial vans.
"SCC Parking Services are in the process of initiating a consultation that would enable them to restrict commercial vehicles accessing our car parks as one way of managing the issue.
"It is believed that in many cases the free-to-use offer is attracting a significant amount of opportunistic use and other, viable charging options (like home and workplace charging) are being overlooked in preference for our fully subsidised offer.
"It is anticipated that the introduction of fees is likely to normalise behaviours and could alleviate the more immediate problems caused by larger commercial vehicles.
"Operating models that offer chargers to commercial users for overnight charging only, are being considered as a longer-term solution."
READ NEXT: LETTER - Southampton needs free parking for electric cars
Council will make £9,600 a year
The free scheme was approved in 2017 in a bid to encourage the use of electric vehicles.
A 45p per kilowatt hour will make £9,600 a year for the council after covering the cost of electricity, the report said. The fee has not yet been set.
The report added: "The introduction of a fee-paying service for our facilities is not considered likely to otherwise impair the local uptake of electric vehicles in the city. Free to use services are becoming increasingly scarce."
It is being discussed at an Overview and Scrutiny meeting on Thursday, with a decision being made by cabinet in November.
The council is also looking to have a "step change in the roll out" of charging points in car parks, streets and at its buildings.
The report added: "It is expected that such an arrangement could be in place in 2023 and would include another review of charging costs."
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel