Falkirk Council agrees to speed up £2 million spend on electric vehicles

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Falkirk Council will spend £2 million on new electrified vehicles for its fleet this year in a bid to meet its climate emergency targets.

Members of Falkirk Council executive approved the spending at a meeting on Tuesday, when members heard the money would pay for around 38 vehicles and reduce carbon emissions by more than 1,000 tonnes every year.

The budget had already been approved for future spending in 2025/26 but the director of Place Services, Malcolm Bennie, asked councillors for permission to accelerate things. Read more: New Falkirk firework laws welcomed despite concerns over cost and enforcement Mr Bennie told councillors that manufacturers have committed to supply the vehicles before the end of the financial year.The switch will also move the council closer to the Scottish Government expectation that all light commercial vehicles using diesel or petrol will be phased out by 2025.Mr Bennie said: "I think it's a really positive step."He said he had brought forward the investment after the last meeting of the executive, when he felt it was clear that reducing carbon emissions was a major priority for councillors."This is an opportunity that's come to us and I definitely recommend it's one we get on with and start making progress with," he said.SNP Councillor Iain Sinclair, Falkirk Council's spokesperson on climate change, thanked the service for identifying the change and said he hoped it would make "a good impact on our climate change ambitions"."It's the first step of many, I hope," he added.Falkirk Live brings you the latest headlines from Falkirk and beyond.But did you know all the ways you can stay informed with us?We share live news and exclusive scoops every day so make sure you're following us so we can