Flagship Group shortlisted for top fleet award

Flagship Group makes it to the finals of the Fleet News Awards 2024
The Group is one of six organisations in the running for an Environmental Fleet of the Year award
Flagship aims to have a net-zero car fleet by 2027

Flagship is moving to a net zero car fleet

With one of Flagship Group's electric vehicles are from left, fleet and payroll administrators Kerri Larner and Rose Rayner, fleet and payroll manager Catherine South and operations manager - payroll & fleet, Andrew Fordham

Flagship Group’s drive towards a greener, brighter future has put it in the running for a top award.

The east of England's biggest social housing provider has been shortlisted in the Environmental Fleet of the Year category at this year’s Fleet News Awards.

Flagship is one of just six finalists for the award alongside Royal Mail and Dundee City Council.

Catherine South, Flagship’s payroll and fleet manager, said: “We’re aiming to have a net zero car fleet by 2027, eight years ahead of the national goal of 2035.

“For us to be recognised as a leader in this field is quite an honour, and a credit to the whole group for coming together in support of that journey.”

Just 57 percent of Flagship’s cars were either fully electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrids in November 2022, with the rest running solely on petrol or diesel.

Just 12 months later that proportion had risen to 89 percent, and the fleet’s CO2 emissions had been dramatically reduced.

With one of Flagship Group's electric vehicles are fleet team members, from left, Rose Rayner, Kerri Larner, Catherine South and Andrew Fordham

Flagship has supported its staff on the journey by contributing £850 towards the cost of home EV charging points to employees classed as ‘essential users’.

The plan is for all new cars to be EV only from the start of 2024.

Ms South said: “We also plan to engage with like-minded organisations in our area to see if we can create a regional EV charging club, where each organisation has access to each other’s charging facilities.

"We will also engage with the different local authorities in our area to understand what their charging strategies are."

Flagship plans to look at how local councils are drawing on government funding streams such as the LEVI (Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) fund and the ORCS (On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme) to see how they can benefit its drivers, especially those who cannot charge at home.

In November 2023 Flagship’s fleet had 279 cars including 58 full EVs, 146 plug-in hybrid EVs, 48 mild-hybrid cars (MHEVs), 10 petrol and 17 diesel. It also includes three EV vans operated by the group's neighbourhoods team.

The Fleet News Awards will take place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on March 13.