There are now 133 charging points across the area, with a further six due to be completed in the next few weeks.

During the initial phase of installing charging points, there was an expectation from Transport Scotland that there would be no charging.

However, with increased electric vehicle ownership and the Scottish Government has pledging to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans across Scotland by 2032, councillors at the Executive Committee agreed to introduce a charge.

If charging is not introduced, it is anticipated that the electricity costs associated with electric vehicle charging for 2022/2023 could be in the region of £715,000.

Council Leader Joe Fagan said: “While the initial reasons behind not asking for a fee for charging vehicles was to encourage more people to use electric vehicles, it is clear now that as a council we cannot continue to absorb the costs of doing so.

“As more people own electric vehicles, the costs have increased substantially year-on-year.

“This means the pressure on the council budget becomes even more significant and this is a cost that we can no longer afford to foot the bill for.”

The aim of a tariff model is to move towards a point where the growing EV network and infrastructure is financially sustainable and, as a minimum, covers the costs of the charging opportunity provided to the users of EVs. This would include electricity, maintenance, and where necessary expansion, and replacement costs.

The tariffs will be set initially and will track the market, increasing energy and other costs with delegated authority given to the Executive Director, Community and Enterprise Resources to set the initial tariff and make any necessary ongoing tariff amendments.