Securing funding is one of the most important and often most complex parts of delivering EV charging infrastructure in the public sector. While demand for electric vehicles continues to grow across the UK, the pace at which councils, NHS Trusts and other public bodies can respond depends heavily on their ability to access, combine and deploy government funding effectively.
Over recent years, the government has introduced a range of electric vehicle chargepoint grants designed to accelerate infrastructure rollout, particularly in areas where commercial investment alone would not deliver access for all. These schemes support national Net Zero targets, improve local air quality, enable public-sector fleet electrification and ensure that residents without private off-street parking are not left behind in the transition to electric vehicles.
This guide explains the main EV charging grants available to councils and public-sector organisations, with a particular focus on the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund and the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS). It also sets out how different funding streams fit together, how public bodies can approach applications strategically, and how Blink Charging supports authorities from funding strategy through to long-term operation.
Understanding the UK EV Charging Funding Landscape
Before exploring individual grants, it is important to understand how the UK’s EV charging funding is structured and why public-sector involvement is essential.
Government support for EV charging infrastructure is primarily coordinated through the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), which sits jointly across the Department for Transport and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
OZEV guidance underpins all major funding schemes and sets expectations around compliance, accessibility and long-term performance.
The UK Government’s EV Infrastructure Strategy makes clear that public charging is critical to mass EV adoption, particularly for households without access to private driveways. According to the House of Commons Library, around one-third of UK households lack off-street parking, rising significantly in urban areas. Without public-sector intervention, these residents would have limited ability to switch to EVs.
Public funding is therefore designed to help local authorities in England overcome barriers such as high upfront capital costs, grid constraints and limited internal capacity, while ensuring charging is delivered in a way that aligns with local transport, climate and equality objectives.
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is the UK Government’s flagship programme for supporting councils to plan and deliver EV charging infrastructure at scale.
Rather than focusing on individual installations, LEVI is intended to help local authorities move towards long-term, network-based approaches. A detailed breakdown is available in Blink’s dedicated LEVI Fund blog, but the scheme can be understood through two core components.
Capability and Planning Funding
The first element of LEVI focuses on building local authority capability. This funding supports the early stages of delivery and can be used to develop:
EV infrastructure strategies and roadmaps
Demand modelling and data analysis
Grid capacity and power-availability assessments
Business cases and delivery plans
Access to specialist technical or commercial expertise
For many councils, this funding represents a critical shift. It enables authorities to move away from reactive, site-by-site delivery and towards structured programmes aligned with transport strategies, climate commitments and land-use planning.
Government funding for residential on-street charging is available through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which is designed to help councils expand access to EV charging for residents without driveways.
Capital Funding for Infrastructure Delivery
The second element of LEVI provides capital funding to support the delivery of infrastructure itself. This can include:
On-street residential charging
Public car-park charging
Charging hubs
Associated civil works and grid upgrades
LEVI capital funding encourages councils to think beyond pilot projects. Authorities are expected to consider how infrastructure will be expanded, maintained and adapted as EV uptake grows over time.
“LEVI marks a shift from short-term installation targets to long-term infrastructure planning, placing local authorities at the centre of the UK’s charging strategy.”
The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS)
Alongside LEVI, the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) remains a key funding route for councils, particularly in dense urban areas. ORCS funding is specifically designed to support residents who do not have access to off-street parking. It provides capital funding for on-street infrastructure such as:
Lamp-column chargers
Bollard-mounted chargepoints
Kerbside or pavement-adjacent units
Guidance published by OZEV makes clear that ORCS should prioritise residential need and equitable access, rather than high-traffic or commercially driven locations.
While ORCS has played a significant role in the early public EV chargepoint grant rollout, its scope is narrower than LEVI. As a result, many councils now use ORCS to address immediate residential gaps while using LEVI to underpin longer-term, area-wide charging strategies.
