ALLERDALE is behind many other parts of the country with the pace of its EV charging point rollout, according to new figures.

Statistics from the Department for Transport show there were 19 public charging points in the area at the start of October – up from 18 a year before.

But at a rate of 19 per 100,000 people, this is well below the UK average of 39.

Since October 2019, when figures began at local authority level, the number of devices in Allerdale has risen by two.

The Government has announced a range of new policies as part of its aim to significantly cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

Its long-awaited net zero strategy, outlining plans to meet legal targets to end its contribution to climate change by 2050, has been published ahead of crucial UN COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.

Among the key policies are an expansion of the electric vehicle network and new measures to encourage renewable heating in homes.

In terms of the latter, data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows 94,000 renewable heating systems had been installed across Great Britain through RHI by the end of September – 15 percent more than September 2020.

Of these, 298 have been installed in Allerdale, helping to pay for 29,171 megawatts per hour of energy.

An extension to the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which aims to reduce carbon emissions and help people at risk of fuel poverty by making energy firms install heat-saving measures, has also been announced.

BEIS data shows 2.3 million homes across Great Britain had been fitted with ECO measures by the end of June – with 3,975 of these in Allerdale.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The UK’s path to ending our contribution to climate change will be paved with well-paid jobs, billions in investment and thriving green industries, powering our green industrial revolution across the country."

But Rebecca Newsom, Greenpeace UK's head of politics, said the plans are 'more like a pick and mix than the substantial meal that we need to reach net zero', and ignore the need to reduce meat and dairy consumption.