Electric charging scheme approved by Oxford council

Plans to introduce electric charging points for taxis and phase out old black cabs have been approved by councillors.

Following a board meeting at Oxford City Council councillors, the new scheme, which aims to clamp down on emissions, will see 19 taxi charging points installed across the city.

As part of the scheme, the council also wants all newly-licensed hackney carriages to be a ultra-low emission vehicles by the end of 2018, ahead of a zero emission zone in Oxford in 2020.

The new initiative is part of plans to reduce emissions in the city by half.

It is being funded largely through a capital funding grant of £370,000 from the government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles, representing 75 per cent of the total cost of the project.