Council slammed for plan to spend £1.8m on diesel minibuses

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A council has been blasted for its plans to spend £1.8million on diesel minibuses, with councillors claiming they will hold “negligible” resale value as the council wishes to be “carbon neutral” in just seven years’ time.

Labour ward councillors Nick Williams and Maisie Richards Cottell have slammed Greenwich council after it agreed to spend £1.8million on 22 new diesel minibuses at a meeting on April 24.

The councillors have called in the decision for further discussion at a meeting tomorrow, claiming the move is “contradictory” to the council’s plans to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Cllrs Williams and Richards Cottell said in council documents: “Note that when these intended assets reach their seven-year anniversary, due to their fuel type and potential national emissions targets, they will hold negligible resale/auction value.”

The councillors have asked the Greenwich council to consider not buying the diesel minivans, and for the reason why electric vehicles were not deemed suitable.

In response, council documents said the cost of buying electric vehicles would be “significantly more expensive” than the diesel vans, estimating the cost would be more than £3.4million in total.

They also said that buying electric minibuses would likely be more cost-efficient in a few years’ time once the technology had matured.

Pictured top: The new 17-seat minibuses from Treka Bus Ltd that Greenwich council plans to replace its current fleet with (Picture: Greenwich council)