Issue - meetings

The Chief Executive to present a report which highlights the work undertaken by officers since the last update in October to anticipate and prepare for the possibility of a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU.

Resolved:  That the discussions and activities under way be noted.

Reason:     To ensure that York is as prepared as possible in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

The Head of Corporate Policy & City Partnerships presented a report which highlighted work undertaken by officers since the last update to Executive, on 18 October, to anticipate and prepare for the possibility of a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU.

Council officers continued to work with key partners and maintain a watching brief on information from a variety of sources, while Executive Members fed into discussions at a regional level.  Reports from other authorities indicated a consistent view that the government had not yet provided sufficient clarity on the impact of a no deal Brexit, nor resources to mitigate this.  Officers were assessing the 106 technical notices published by the government, focusing on those that would have a direct impact on its services and the work of city partners.  Heads of Service would refine any necessary responses to create an action plan for delivery. 

It was reported at the meeting that, since publication of the report, the vote due in Parliament on 11 December had been cancelled and would now take place in the week commencing 14 January.  The government had accelerated its preparatory work on a ‘no deal’ exit and was expected to provide further information which would assist the council’s preparations.  The government had also released £2bn funding, of which some might be made available to local authorities for their planning work.

With reference to matters raised under Public Participation, it was confirmed that officers would be looking at the support to EU citizens resident in York that could be provided under the EU Settlement Scheme outlined in paragraphs 33-37 of the report.  The full scheme would be available before 30 March.

Resolved:  That the discussions and activities under way be noted.

Reason:     To ensure that York is as prepared as possible in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.