Council's fleet modernisation to save carbon and money

Approved by Cabinet yesterday (Wednesday 20 April), the report details the replacement of 93 vehicles from mowers and small vans to gritters and refuse vehicles.

The replacement programme will allow the council to increase its fleet of electric vehicles and continue the transition from inefficient and unreliable vehicles to a new, greener and dependable fleet.

Replacing thirty-seven vans with electric vehicles will save an estimated 100 tonnes of carbon per year, supporting the council's journey to net zero by 2040.

As the council's fleet of more than 250 vehicles has aged, revenue maintenance costs have increased year on year since 2014. Many of the vehicles are now years beyond their industry standard life spans.

Older vehicles require more maintenance time in the workshop, leading to loss of productivity, incurring additional expenditure, and often leading to operational disruption.

The replacement programme represents an estimated £4.8m capital investment and will help to reduce ongoing revenue maintenance costs for years to come.

Jonathan Edwards, Director of Operations for St Helens Borough Council, said:

"This replacement programme will support our services to undertake wider service modernisation and provide flexibility for the future. It will also ensure that our workforce has access to modern and fit for purpose vehicles and equipment.

"And by purchasing electric vehicles we continue our transition to a low carbon fleet in a managed way, on our journey to net zero by 2040. Increasing the number of alternative fuel vehicles by thirty-seven is a significant step towards this goal."