These issues have led to delays; by October 2024 only 10 out of 78 projects had been approved for delivery against a March 2025 deadline. These delays have meant that many local authorities are going to market at similar times, posing the risk that the market may not have the capacity to serve them all and some procurements fail.20 The Department must ensure that local authorities remain supported to conduct successful procurements and secure good value through competition between operators. The Department stated that the market overall is ‘fiercely competitive’, and did not want to shuffle individual procurements around as this would just artificially delay some local authorities. The Department told us, however, that it does monitor the situation and let local authorities know what is in the procurement pipeline so they can make choices about when is best to approach the market.21 It has also extended the programme’s capability funding beyond March 2025 to continue supporting local authorities.22 Ultra rapid charging on the strategic road network