Why ORCS Matters for Local Authorities
The commercial market tends to invest in high-traffic, high-revenue sites. ORCS helps local authorities improve air quality and work toward net zero targets by enabling residents without private parking to switch to electric vehicles. Residential streets in lower-income areas, rural communities, and older urban housing stock are commercially unattractive and systematically underserved. ORCS directly addresses this market failure by funding local authorities to act as the enabler of on-street residential charging for their communities.
What ORCS Funding Covers
ORCS covers up to 75% of eligible capital costs for on-street residential EV charge point installations. From 1 April 2026, the maximum grant contribution is £500 per socket. Eligible costs include:
Supply and installation of the charge point unit and mounting equipment.
Civil engineering works: trenching, ducting, cable runs, and reinstatement.
Grid connection and metering costs.
Bay marking, signage, and traffic regulation orders (TROs) where required.
Ongoing operational costs are not covered by ORCS and are typically recovered through user tariffs.
The ORCS Application Process
Demand assessment and site identification
Councils must demonstrate local need by mapping areas with high concentrations of residents who rely on on-street parking and have limited access to nearby public charge points. Data from ONS housing stock surveys, local parking data, and EV registration records can all support this.
Site feasibility
Proposed sites must be assessed for technical feasibility: available grid capacity, cable run distances, suitability of existing street furniture, and TRO requirements. Blink Charging provides free site feasibility support to local authorities as part of our bid development service.
Application submission
Local authorities submit a formal ORCS application to OZEV, including a delivery plan, site list, cost breakdown, and evidence of local need. Applications are assessed competitively, and councils that demonstrate strong demand, deliverability, and value for money typically receive priority allocation.
Procurement and delivery
Once OZEV approves the application and allocates funding, the council procures a charge point operator through a compliant procurement process. Blink Charging is available to councils through established procurement frameworks and delivers end-to-end ORCS programmes from civil works through to network commissioning and ongoing management.
Match Funding Requirements
ORCS covers up to 75% of eligible capital costs, and local authorities must provide the remaining 25%. This match funding can come from local transport capital budgets, UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocations, LEVI Fund capital, or Section 106 planning obligations or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts where appropriate.
How Blink Charging Supports ORCS Programmes
Blink Charging has delivered ORCS-funded on-street charging programmes with local authorities across the UK. Our offer includes free site feasibility assessments, technical input for OZEV applications, end-to-end installation, long-term network management, and regular reporting. Contact our public sector team to discuss your ORCS programme.
