The council is set to consider a scheme which would enable people without a drive or garage to charge electric cars at home for the first time.
The council is set to consider a scheme which would enable people without a drive or garage to charge electric cars at home for the first time.
The scheme, which will be discussed at the council’s cabinet meeting on Thursday, 5 February 2026, will involve the use of concealed cross channel pavement chargers, with a £149,000 government funding injection set to help kickstart the project.
The cash injection will enable the council to help fund the installation of cross pavement charging at around 125 properties.
With home charging in the UK costing significantly less than public charging (costing around 7p per mile compared to an average of 17p per mile for public charging) the scheme could be a game changer for the many people who don’t have a garage or drive but have an electric car or wish to buy one in the future.
The cost of installing the charger itself will still need to be met by households, but small additional grants may be available to help them meet the cost.
Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said:
“Electric cars will play a major role in helping us reach our goal, as part of Greater Manchester, of becoming carbon neutral by 2038. But the lack of access to affordable at home charging means owning and running an electric vehicle remains out of reach for a lot of people.
“This rollout, should it be approved at cabinet, will make a huge difference by supporting the many residents across our borough who don’t have access to a garage or drive.”
The cross channel scheme also complements wider work by the council to improve access to electric charging, with around 300 additional chargers set to be installed in public spaces, including council-owned car parks, over the next 2 years.
The proposal for the scheme follows a successful pilot, which was carried out last year. The next step in the rollout will see the council select a contractor to install the cross pavement channels through a competitive tender exercise.
If approved, information about how people can apply for the scheme, including the eligibility criteria, will be shared in due course, with installation of cross pavement channels expected to get under way in the summer.
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