Andy Burnham has introduced two new driveway rules this October, but thousands of motorists will be angry at the decision. The changes affect electric car owners, with a cut to VAT on home charging rates and new planning permission rules for cross-parking solutions.
VAT cut on home charging
From October 1, those already paying 5% VAT at home will now get an even better deal as rates are cut to 0%. This comes after years of paying 20% VAT charging fees at public charging stations. However, the cut does not apply to public charging costs.
Those topping up at domestic rates are likely to pay just 7p per kWh to charge their battery. But those using public plugs can be paying as much as 50p per kWh. For a typical 36kWh battery, that can be as much as £16 per charge more.
Planning permission changes
From October 21, planning permission will no longer be required for cross-parking solutions, such as cables and gullies, to allow those without a driveway or off-street parking to benefit from domestic rates. This was initially seen as exciting news for those without driveways.
However, on September 25, the Government confirmed an amendment to the rules. Anyone living in one of England's 10,000 conservation areas will not enjoy the benefit and will still need to secure planning permission.
Conservation areas affected
Estimates say the areas are home to around 6.8 million people, with as many as 3.4 million not having the benefit of a driveway. There could be as many as 100,000 electric cars caught up in the amendment.
Conservation areas are defined as places of "special architectural or historic interest". The timing also won't have helped, as large swathes of the country are now set to benefit from much cheaper EV rates while others are caught in the doldrums.
By choosing to slash VAT rates on domestic electricity instead of public costs, as the industry had initially demanded, could come back to bite the Prime Minister. At least 100,000 EV owners are going to be absolutely furious with him.
