Agenda item

To receive any questions submitted under Rule of Procedure 13. Any items received will be circulated on 1 October 2019.

(Any questions must be submitted in writing to Democratic Services by, not later than, 10.00am on the working day immediately preceding the date of the meeting).

39.1           The following question had been received from Councillor Stanley to the Lead Member for Community. The answer was given by the Lead Member for Community, Councillor Softley, but was taken as read without discussion.

Question:

What risks have been identified, and what preparation has been done, to prepare for a No Deal Brexit?

Answer:

The Council is working closely with its partners in the Local Resilience Forum including the Police, Fire Service, Military, NHS, Severn Trent and other Councils in Gloucestershire to consider how we foresee and best mitigate the risks of a no deal exit from the EU. The Council has been represented at all strategic and tactical command group meetings and has fed into an overall local planning assumption for Gloucestershire. Whilst the subject of Brexit obviously has a significant national profile and the publication of the government’s ‘Yellowhammer’ document immediately gained the attention of the national media, the feedback from attending the Local Resilience Forum is that, generally, Gloucestershire is considered low risk.

Briefing and advisory information is also received on a regular basis from regional and national sources such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the South West Regional Lead for Brexit.

High level risks specific to Tewkesbury Borough Council are set out in the Council’s corporate risk register and include:

·       Data transfer and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR);

·       Supply chain delays; and

·       Economic impact.

Data transfer and GDPR – national guidance confirms that the UK is committed to maintaining high standards of GDPR and the government plans to incorporate it into UK law alongside the Data Protection Act 2018 after Brexit. UK businesses will be covered by the UK data protection regime. The UK government has stated that transfers to the EU will not be restricted. Where Council data is held on servers within the EU, the relevant software suppliers have confirmed contingency arrangements are in place to host data within the UK if this is required.

Supply chain delays - most supplies that the Council relies on, for example stationery, computer equipment, furniture etc. can be sourced from inside the UK. Supply chain is therefore considered a low risk for operational activities. For any transactions with EU member states, which for the Council are few and far between, there may be an impact on potential tariffs. For example, the procurement of a vehicle fleet.

Economic impact – in the short term, it is possible that there could be price fluctuations in the goods and supplies the Council purchases in which case Council reserves will be required to meet those increased costs. Longer term, if higher prices become normalised, the Council will need to factor this into its medium term financial plans.

In addition to the above, the Council is also signposting businesses, through the Growth Hub, to government advice on how to prepare for a no deal exit. A recently issued national Brexit toolkit for business is a good example. The Council also provides an assisted digital service, through the Customer Services Team, for EU citizens registering for the EU settlement scheme. We are the only Council in Gloucestershire offering this service, though to date there has been little uptake of this.

39.2           The following question had been received from Councillor Jordan to the Lead Member for Built Environment.  The answer was given by the Lead Member for Built Environment, Councillor Gore, but was taken as read without discussion.

Question:

In light of the housing land supply that the Council is demonstrating, when will the Planning Policy Reference Panel meet?

Answer:

A meeting of the Planning Policy Reference Panel is likely to take place within the next few months to update the Group on the next stage in the Joint Core Strategy process where, amongst other issues, this matter can be addressed.

39.3           The Members declined the Mayor’s invitation to ask a supplementary question each.