Andy Burnham is set to introduce a major discount for motorists with driveways in just a couple of weeks.
Andy Burnham is set to launch a new rule change that will have an impact on road users with access to driveways. The Prime Minister is set to cut domestic electricity VAT rates, with fees being slashed from 5% to 0% from October 1.
The new rates are designed to help families struggling with electricity bills, but the new rule will have a knock-on effect for electric car owners. The new discount will allow EV owners to top-up their cars for cheaper, with experts suggesting that road users could be set to save as much as £40 in a considerable boost.
Motorists with driveways can benefit from cheaper EV charging (Image: Getty)
David Martell, CEO of home charger company Andersen EV, said: “For the average EV driver charging at home, the saving on charging alone is likely to be around £20–£25 per year. For higher-mileage drivers, it could be closer to £35–£40.
“That may not sound transformational on its own, but it’s the direction of travel that matters. It demonstrates a willingness to support the transition with practical measures that make a real difference to consumers.”
According to previous estimates from Carwow, the cost of topping-up a 100kWh battery would drop from £26.11 to just £24.87 under the new VAT rates. This would save road users around £1.24 per charge. The experts warned that over the course of a full year, motorists topping up their car battery at home at least once per week could be expected to save around £65.
However, there are fears Mr Burnham’s new rule could create a bigger “driveway divide”, with those road users not able to benefit from off-street parking left out.
VAT on electricity supplied to public charging bays remains at 20% in a serious blow to many EV owners.
Ben Nelmes, chief executive of New AutoMotive, warned: “The Government have handed EV drivers with a driveway a tax cut on power they were already paying [the] least for.
“Meanwhile, the driver charging on a public charger down the road, because they’ve got nowhere else to plug in, is still handing 20% to the taxman on every single mile. That’s a design flaw, and it leaves us with a VAT system that asks most of those who can least afford to contribute.”
Fury erupts in UK town amid migrant dinghy chaos – ‘It’s a disgrace!’
EXCLUSIVE: Protesters gathered in anticipation of the arrival of a vessell from France.
Protesters turned up opposing migrants in Gosport (Image: Adam Toms)
Protesters have slammed the authorities after an expected migrant boat never arrived at a UK town. Those who turned up in Gosport, Hampshire, to voice their opposition to the anticipated migrants said police presence was a “smokescreen”. Cops and hundreds of locals were present in Haslar Road before it was expected that a vessel carrying asylum seekers from France would be guided to the shore. Activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, urged his supporters to head there.
But as darkness descended, police said this would not happen. It was believed the boat would be heading to Dover instead. Brett Leishman, 55, a taxi driver in Gosport, called the situation a “disgrace”, adding that all the confusion about where the boat was heading to and police presence was a planned “smokescreen”.
He said: “Ten days ago they knew this was happening. You don’t bring police down from London and have drones if you didn’t know this was happening. [Migrant boats] were just appearing; now it’s organised. I want to know what the agenda is with this.”
Police kept watch in Gosport (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
“They think it’s alright while I’m putting £40 a day of diesel in my taxi. I’m £120 a week worse off just on fuel. Anyone who’s fleeing their country […] I get it. But when you’ve got four, five 600 men pretending they’re 17 […] going around raping 80-year-old men and kids, something’s f***ing wrong.”
He added that sooner or later the child or grandchild of someone in today’s crowd will be raped. “You watch it kick off,” he said. “Especially a small town like this.”
Brett’s wife, Joanne Leishman, 59, a former barmaid, said: “I totally support it, everything they’re doing here.”
She added: “Without a doubt it’s been going for about a week. I still think they’re [the migrants] here personally.“
Dorrie Crabbe, 74, worked in education. She is concerned about the redevelopment of an immigration removal centre in Haslar, initially to open with 130 beds, with a controversial proposal to expand to a 600-bed capacity.
“It’s got to stop,” she said. “We can’t just carry on taking the numbers that are coming. Gosport is a small town, a peninsula. We’ve just been kept in the dark about what’s been going on.”
Her husband, Pete Crabbe, 75, a retired toolmaker, said: “The concern is that there is such a huge number when it really is very, very close to a housing estate. There are people of all different ages there. We don’t know who [the migrants are].”
The whole thing seems “underhand”, he added.
Tina Harrison, 59, lives in Portsmouth. She said: “I think it’s disgusting, the whole lot of it. Paying our taxpayers’ money to bring people here so they can get free housing, free medical care
Pete and Dorrie Crabbe watched on (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
“My son has got a £56,000 bill for tax and he says, ‘Why should I pay it when you have people coming over to this country getting free housing and free dental care?’ The Government are thieving b*******. They take, take, take, take and never give back to English people. They are giving them money; they send it all abroad.”
A woman, 60, a business manager from elsewhere in Hampshire, wanted to remain anonymous.
She said: “It’s about time people stood up.”
On police operation and conflicting boat landing reports, she added: “It’s all being done to confuse. I don’t trust anything they say anymore. Nothing. It’s all planned. You don’t pull up resources like this in five minutes. It’s a big insult to the tax-paying public.“
A woman, 61, also wanted to remain anonymous. She is originally from Glasgow but has lived in Gosport for 30-odd years.
She said: “I don’t believe it. I still think they’re coming in tonight, and I’m disappointed that not many people came in tonight from their own town.
“It’s our town; we live here.”
She added: “I’m a Catholic, I don’t believe that you can rape women and rape children […] They are demented.”
Tina Harrison is frustrated by the small boat arrivals (Image: Adam Toms)
The local added: “We are not prejudiced. Not at all. We’ve had enough, mate. Enough.”
A 62-year-old lorry driver, who lives in Portsmouth, also wanted to remain anonymous.