Local authority news Warrington Council is charging ahead Warrington Council has partnered with electric vehicle (EV) charging network Be.EV to install three new EV chargers at The Forge Shopping Centre in Stockton Heath. Switched on and now available for public use, the installation is part of a larger rollout by Warrington Council and Be.EV to boost the boroughs rapid-charging provision. Since launching Warringtons Climate Emergency Commission in 2019, Warrington Council has invested in an extensive network of fast chargers to support EV uptake across the borough. The council is now expanding its network by installing more public rapid and ultra-rapid chargers to meet increasing on-the-go charging needs and driver demand. Cabinet member for transportation, highways and public realm, Hans Mundry, said: We are putting the infrastructure in place to ensure Warrington is well prepared for the move to electric vehicles by 2030. An important part of that is making sure people are able to access fast, convenient charging all over the borough including at our major car parks. New car park for QEH Planning has been approved for a 42m multi-storey car park at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The scheme will deliver 1,383 parking spaces, replacing the existing car park at the hospital, which urgently requires improvement. It will include 18 EV charging points and 98 Blue Badge spaces, and involve the relocation of the current bus stop. Work will take place in two phases, starting in late 2023, with completion expected in late 2025. Songs of praise for Liverpool parking staffs team effort Liverpool City Councils parking services staff worked flat out to accommodate extra visitors during the Eurovision Song Contest, which the city was hosting on behalf of the people of Ukraine. With national train strikes also taking place during the 14-day EuroFestival including during the Eurovision final on Saturday 13 May people had to find alternative ways into the city, putting additional pressure on parking spaces. Council-owned car parks were open 24 hours a day from Wednesday 3 May, to accommodate the extra visitors and give them access to staffed car parks throughout the day and night. The council has four multi-storey car parks, as well as a number of on-street ones, which, together, offer just less than 5,000 spaces. Parking staff worked extra shifts to make sure the car parks were open around the clock until Sunday 14 May. Ken Prior, parking manager at Liverpool City Council, said: It was a fantastic effort by the parking team to ensure our visitors had plenty of parking options and could leave their vehicles in a safe environment, giving them peace of mind to enjoy the EuroFestival and the Eurovision Song Contest. I am really proud of them all. Early footfall data and figures from Merseyside Police suggest that, during the two weeks of the festival, an additional 500,000 visitors came to Liverpool compared with the 100,000 forecast. Claire McColgan, director of culture Liverpool, said: The logistics of staging an event of this scale and within this time period would have been impossible without the incredible support of our colleagues across the city council and our city partners. Everyone across the city and region stepped up, and it was a true team effort. 12 PN June 2023 pp12-13 LA News.indd 12 23/05/2023 11:45