Transport Secretary Mark Harper visited bp Pulse's UK headquarters in Linford Wood on Thursday (9th May) as it was revealed Milton Keynes remains one of the best places in England to own an electric car.
The latest figures reveal MK has the third most public electric car charging points per 100k population in England, outside of London boroughs. This is thanks to millions of pounds worth of Government investment into the city.
As of April 2024, there were 599 publicly available chargers in MK, up from 478 in April 2023, while the city also has 167 ultra fast chargers.
The Secretary of State was given a tour of bp Pulse's state of the art building in Linford Wood, with local MP Ben Everitt, and discussed the importance of a transition to electric vehicles.
Following the visit, the Minister joined Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt in Bancroft to speak to local residents about issues including potholes and bus services.
Every year Milton Keynes City Council receives at least £6.4 million from the Government for highways maintenance, but with the state of the roads in MK looking so poor at the moment, Ben called for more action to hold the Labour Council to account.
The Government has now announced a £25 million boost for MK Council over the next 10 years, on top of the annual £6.4 million budget, to tackle road repairs but the council must publish its plan for road works on its website so the public can scrutinise and be aware of the plans.
Local MP Ben has also been fighting to support local bus services in Milton Keynes after the Labour Council withdrew subsidies for a number of services. He discussed this with the Transport Secretary during his visit to the city and also recently met with Stagecoach East to discuss the ongoing issue around the number 41 through Olney.
Ben secured hundreds of thousands of pounds last year from the Government for Milton Keynes Council to support at-risk bus services, including the 41, 21, 1, 2, 3 and 7, although the council decided to spend a large chunk of Government funding on a bus timetable and its MK Connect service.
The Conservative Government, on the other hand, introduced the £2 bus fare last year to help support the recovery of the bus sector following the pandemic and the cap has since been extended until the end of 2024.
Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, said: "People are talking to me all the time about potholes and bus services so it was really important to welcome the Transport Secretary to Milton Keynes to discuss our plans to support bus services and improve local roads.
"It's frustrating that the Labour council has failed so badly on both fronts, especially considering the significant funding they have been given by the council, but I will continue to fight for local residents."
