Rotherham Council to spend almost £8m to upgrade vehicles to reduce emissions

The council hopes to replace 35 per cent of its current vehicles by 2026 with lower emission models.

Its current fleet consists of 298 diesel, 34 petrol and five electric vehicles.

A report by officers states that by having a fleet that is Euro six compliant, ‘improved fuel efficiency can be achieved, which lowers overall consumption by improving ‘miles per gallon’.’

Rotherham Council plans to replace a total of 119 vehicles between now and 2026, with 64 of those being electric cars.

The report adds that different vehicle types will be replaced including minibuses, small vans, multi-purpose vehicles and some refuse collection vehicles.

The bulk of electric vehicles purchased will be small cars and vans.

The current annual rental charges for vehicles that are hired, leased and contract hired which have been identified for replacement, is £952,000.