A COUNCILLOR has made a plea to Denbighshire council to step up its role in tackling climate change by improving its provision of electric vehicle charging points.

The call by Mabon ap Gwynfor, town councillor for Llandrillo/Cynwyd, follows a study that revealed Denbighshire is amongst the worst counties in Britain for the number of electric cars, totting up at just 70. Cllr ap Gwynfor has asked Denbighshire County Council to increase the number of electrical vehicle charging points it provides for motorists and to evaluate the use of potential alternative fuel sources for its own fleet of vehicles.

Council officers will now draw up papers on both issues for discussion at a scrutiny committee meeting.

Cllr ap Gwynfor said: “We need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels, which are causing huge damage to the environment.

“Sea levels are set to rise, and we could see damage to communities on the Denbighshire coast over the coming decades unless we do something about this issue.

“It’s clear that the direction of travel as far as vehicle fuel is concerned is away from fossil fuel, so Denbighshire County Council needs to be prepared for that eventuality.”

Research conducted by HSBC showed that only 31 publicly-funded charging points are available across Wales – the equivalent of one per 100,000 people.

Cllr ap Gwynfor added: “There’s an opportunity here to look at developing electric vehicle charging points across Denbighshire. It’s very difficult for rural communities to move away from diesel or petrol because the infrastructure isn’t yet in place for electric vehicles.

“Denbighshire County Council could lead the way and help our communities to transition to electric.A plan for Denbighshire council to become plastic-free in two years was tabled last month by Emrys Wynne, town councillor for Ruthin, following a plan unveiled by the House of Parliament in May to drastically reduce its own usage of single-use plastics.