The electric vehicle chargers behind Parliament Buildings at Stormont have been suspended while officials prepare a new charging system. The move affects six charging points used by assembly members and staff, and comes ahead of an urgent meeting on Monday 8 June to change the policy.
The suspension lands because the current arrangement has become politically awkward as much as operationally outdated. MLAs are already entitled to an annual allowance for attending Stormont worth almost £7,000 for those travelling the furthest distances, yet electric car users had been able to charge for free on site. It is within the rules for MLAs to use the charging points, but critics still described the free charging arrangement as ludicrous.
An Assembly spokesperson said the commission will agree arrangements to give officials the authority to work at pace to introduce a new system that addresses legitimate public concerns. That new structure is expected to bring Stormont into line with a wider shift away from free charging in public bodies, and options under consideration include usage fees for the charging points.
The chargers were installed in 2015, when, as the Assembly statement put it, EV technology was still emerging and charging facilities were not widely available. Back then, free charging was often used by public sector bodies and incentive schemes to encourage drivers into electric cars. Stormont is now moving away from that model because the old setup no longer fits the way the rules, the allowances and the public mood intersect.
News NI understands that among those who have used the charging points are DUP MLAs Pam Cameron and Trevor Clarke, and Alliance MLA David Honeyford. The controversy has grown around the arrangement rather than any allegation of wrongdoing, with the central question now whether the Assembly Commission will settle on a fee system that ends the free service without creating another round of complaints.
Separately, Alliance councillor Eric Hanvey has quit the party and said he will not stand in the next local election, saying he has become disillusioned with politics.
