Nottingham businesses and voluntary organisations are being urged to consider cash grants of up to £25,000 for green transport schemes before a deadline at the end of the year.

The money can be applied for through Nottingham City Council’s Workplace Travel Service and is also open to charities, public-sector and faith groups.

So far, the scheme, funded by the government’s Transforming Cities Fund has distributed more than half a million pounds locally to help Nottingham businesses go greener, through:

• Adding cycling infrastructure such as a cycle shelter, showers, e-bikes and e-cargo bikes
• Adding charging points for electric vehicles including all works associated with installing them

In order to qualify, a business or organisation needs to be based within the Nottingham City boundary. Businesses contribute 25 per cent towards the costs of any scheme, but public-sector, voluntary or charitable groups are fully funded. The deadline for applications is 31 December this year.

Who qualifies?

• Those within Nottingham city boundary
• Businesses of any size
• Public sector organisations
• Charity or voluntary organisations or groups
• Businesses contribute 25% towards the costs. Public sector, voluntary and charity groups are 100% funded.

The scheme works as follows:

• Submit an expression of interest via the Transport Nottingham website
• The City Council will provide information on how to apply and a panel at the authority meets monthly to award grants
• A decision is made within a month to six weeks

Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Planning, Councillor Angela Kandola, said: “Calling local businesses, public-sector organisations, voluntary or faith groups, we can help you to future-proof your workplace by adding electric vehicle charging points and facilities to make cycling to work easier.

“We really want local groups and businesses to take advantage of this scheme before it ends so we can help as many people as possible. It’s all done for you from end to end – all you have to do is fill in a simple application form with around seven questions and our helpful team are there to support you.”

LAC Conveyer Systems benefitted from a grant of £5,000. Lauren Cassidy, Head of Business Support, said: “The Workplace Travel Service team helped LAC Conveyor Systems discover available options and provided expert advice that proved invaluable in our decision to foster a greener, more responsible business model.

“Thanks to the grant, we were able to install several EV chargers at our workplace, which has enabled us to take another step towards sustainability. We are charging the way to a greener future, one charge at a time”.

Natalie Shaw, Managing Director of Palmyra Estates which benefitted from a £25,000 grant, said: “Peter and his team at the Workplace Travel Service were excellent and helped me through the application process. It now means our tenants can enjoy secure on-site bicycle parking and soon to be shower facilities, which go hand in hand.

“The Workplace Travel Grant process is such a fabulous scheme from the council to support greener workplace travel and reduce the travel-to-work carbon footprint, and I strongly recommend all local landlords and businesses to look into the options available. Nottingham is certainly leading the way in this space.”

Alan Edwards, Director at John E. Wright & Co, which benefitted from a £5,000 grant, said: “Applying for charging points through the Workplace Travel Service was an easy step-by-step process. An online application form and three quotes was all that was needed to submit the claim. The team helped us refine areas of our application where we didn’t have adequate information and they also kept us informed of progress throughout the entire process. We were delighted when our application was successful.

“We applied for three 3-phase 22 KW Rolec Chargers. The grant funded 75% of the net costs of the hardware and the installation. We want to future-proof our car parking for electric vehicles and are now planning to expand our EV infrastructure by making a second application. Climate Change and Clean Air are big issues that are top priority for our business but also cost savings play a big part in our decision process during the ongoing global energy crisis. The grant has helped us with our sustainability ambitions to achieve net zero by 2033.”

Istvan Sereg is Senior Energy and Environment Manager at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which benefitted from nearly £24,000 of grants. He said: “The Trust has worked with NCC Workplace Travel Service over a number of years and taken advantage of the electric van trial scheme with different teams at the Trust. There have also been a number of successful applications for grants for the installation of electric vehicle chargers across the Trust which have built a sizeable network of charging infrastructure for fleet and staff usage. This has allowed an increased number of fleet vehicles to be procured and significantly increased the proportion of staff owning and leasing electric vehicles.”