WEST Oxfordshire must ensure it does not fall behind the electric car revolution, a councillor has warned.

Witney town councillor Suzanne Bartington recently purchased an electric car to reduce her carbon footprint – only to find that the district has no public charging points.

She says the dramatic impact air quality has on health is not limited to Oxford and has urged the district and county council to help lead the way.

West Oxfordshire District Council is today set to approve £250,000 to look at installing electric vehicle charging points in the area.

Dr Bartington, who calls air pollution the 'silent killer', said: “In my professional life as a public health doctor I work on air quality research which looks at the impact air quality has on health.

"It is estimated that more than 40 deaths a year are as a result of exposure to air pollution.

“I’m a huge supporter of the [proposed] zero emissions zone in Oxford and air quality is a serious issue in the city – but there are also air quality management areas in Witney and Chipping Norton.

“It’s really important that the district and county councils consider air quality not just in Oxford but in market towns throughout the county.

“There’s a huge gap in West Oxfordshire and I think we need to take some action to lead the way.”

Air quality management areas are those that would fail the Government’s objective for the nitrogen dioxide annual mean concentration and are therefore closely monitored by councils.

Dr Bartington, who believes we are on the brink of a ‘real shift’ in terms of transport technology, recently purchased her BMW i3.

It was only after purchasing the car that she realised, to her surprise, there were no public charging points in the district.

Meanwhile, Oxford has played a central role in the move towards electric cars. The zero emissions zone, which will come into effect in 2020, will ban petrol and diesel vehicles in the city centre.

But Dr Bartington emphasised that the risk presented by polluted air effects the whole county and that the solution therefore needs to be county-wide.

She added: "I think people wouldn't accept drinking contaminated water on a daily basis and they're beginning to think the same way about polluted air.

"We really need to be investors in this, not draggards."

Though Dr Bartington is right to say West Oxfordshire is currently without public charging points, the district council is aiming to make change, and will today approve funding to explore the technology.

James Mills, the leader of WODC, talked about the role such technology could have in attracting an ever-changing audience of visitors to the area.

He said: “Cabinet is recommending putting aside £250,000 in our budget to look at installing electric vehicle charging point.

“We see this as another way of encouraging people to visit West Oxfordshire, use our local shops and cafes and use our local business services.

“In exploring what may be possible we have asked GWR to investigate including charging points in their West Oxfordshire station car parks.

“As sustainability is an integral part of our planning process too, we will be urging developers to include electric charging points on future larger-scale commercial and residential developments.”

Mrs Bartington also encourages alternative means of travel like cycling and public transport.