Council’s plans for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit revealed
Alternative school meals among measures:
As part of its Brexit preparations Bridgend County Borough Council is looking at alternative meal plans for schools – with more frozen food. Liz Bradfield spoke to the council’s chief executive Mark Shephard and its Brexit co-ordinator Lisa Jones about the authority’s plans for school meals and much more... ALTERNATIVE school menus are being developed by the local authority in Bridgend to cope with the predicted lack of fresh produce in a no-deal Brexit.
The measure is one of many under consideration by Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) as it tries to mitigate some of the risks it thinks the county could face after Britain leaves the EU.
Mark Shephard, BCBC’s chief executive, said “the same good quality meals” could be provided by planning in a different way.
He said: “It’s about recognising the various risks involved, we’re told that fresh produce could be in short supply.”
The council’s Brexit coordinator Lisa Jones said its catering service, which takes care of meals in schools and care homes, had once again stockpiled about six weeks’ worth of dry/ambient goods, having first done it when the UK was due to leave the EU at the end of March.
She said meals could involve a greater use of frozen produce, helping to avoid a reliance on fresh produce which could see spiralling price increases due to shortages.
The council’s risk register states that disruptions to supplies are likely in all cases but particularly in respect of a no-deal Brexit.
The document states that warehouse space is limited with food companies across the UK having been stockpiling food and ingredients to the point that there is no additional capacity nationwide remaining.
And with no World Trade Organisation tariffs having been agreed, officers say it’s estimated that food prices will increase - they have suggested additional funding be set aside for the food budget.
While funding from the Welsh Government has helped local authorities in their preparations for Brexit, Mr Shephard said the challenge remained over just what they were preparing for, and when.
He said: “It’s a bit of a moving target. It’s not absolutely clear what we have to plan for which makes things particularly difficult.
“We take some comfort that within the regional Brexit forum everyone seems to be pretty much in the same space.
“We think we have done most of what we realistically can do in readiness for it.”
Earlier this month, councillors were briefed by officers on the council’s Brexit plans and their own role to play, in terms of passing on necessary information to communities.
Here we take a look at some of the work being undertaken by the council in preparation for Brexit...
Porthcawl Marina
BCBC says it is still waiting for clarity over whether it will have to check the passports of people on boats coming into Porthcawl Marina and whether it has to play a role in ensuring produce from commercial fishing vessels is traceable.
The local authority is in conversations with the Swansea Bay Port Health Authority and Swansea Bay Fisheries Local Action Group.
Community tensions
BCBC’S Brexit co-ordinator Lisa Jones said the county had seen not seen any rise in reported hate crime or any cohesion issues linked to Brexit.
It has recently appointed a community cohesion officer, a role funded by Welsh Government in all 22 local authority areas.
Due to start in November, the officer will work alongside police community support officers, various agencies and community groups to identify and mitigate any community tensions, in particular as a result of Brexit.
Meanwhile, South Wales Police have recently appointed an EU exit inspector who will be liaising with Brexit co-ordinators across all local authorities.
EU Settlement Scheme
BASED on the 2011 census, there are about 2,000 EU nationals living in Bridgend.
The council believes the figure is likely to be higher now.
Officers said about 18% have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after June 30, 2021.
To raise awareness of the scheme, BCBC is linking up with Awen Cultural Trust and Halo Leisure with staff helping get the message out to EU nationals.
The local authority has asked county councillors to spread the message and will be contacting town and community councils later this month.
In June, BCBC launched a “chip and check” service to help EU nationals who wish to apply to continue to live and work locally.
So far the council has helped 67 people through the service.
Foodbanks
ABOUT £2m is going to be invested in sustaining foodbanks across Wales in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the First Minister has said.
Around £1.25m is expected to be administered through local authorities.
BCBC says it has already started to work with the third sector and the Public Services Board to see how to make best use of the funds.
Businesses
THERE is a risk the sustainability of the local economy will be impacted in Bridgend which has a high proportion of employment in both manufacturing and motor trades – sectors identified “most at risk” by the Welsh Government.
The council is using existing networks such as the Bridgend Business Forum
to disseminate information as well as providing links to detailed guidance on its website.
EU funding
EU funding has been one of the primary funding sources the local authority has taken advantage of in Bridgend. Recent projects involve the Maesteg Town Hall regeneration project, the Rest Bay watersports centre and the Caerau minewater heat project.
In addition to large infrastructure projects, funding has also gone to services such as employability, supporting those furthest away from the labour market.
Mr Shephard said: “It’s been significant in terms of funding a large number of the projects in the county both historically and those still going ongoing.
“There is a fear that whatever is made available from the UK government may be spread more widely.”
Ms Jones added: “The UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund is replacing the EU funding programme but there is currently no clarity in terms of value and how that programme might work.
“In Wales, we are starting to consider if we were to have a future regeneration investment programme what would that look like, what would that focus on and would be the delivery models. An all-Wales steering group has been established with a working group underneath that.”
Medical supplies
THE local authority is looking, along with neighbouring councils and the health board, to find a warehouse or unit to store emergency medical supplies, as required by the Welsh Government.
But it has identified the risk that it may not be able to find a suitable solution meaning there would be no local base available for deliveries of emergency supplies for local social care providers.
It is liaising with Welsh Government and other key partners to explore possible solutions.
General election
FROM October 31, nonUK EU citizens can no longer take part in local elections.
Mr Shephard said: “With the anticipation of a general election, there is a need for the electoral role to be accurate.
“There’s a potential if we have a tight election people are going to challenge whether the right people are enrolled or not enrolled.”
Any election undertaken would be open to challenge/petition from a candidate which would mean a hearing at the High Court in London and the possibility of the election having to be re-run at the cost of the local authority.
Civil contingencies and emergency planning
BCBC has established an internal cross-directorate Brexit forum chaired by Mr Shephard.
He said: “It’s not about debating the merits of Brexit, that’s for the politicians, this is about understanding the potential impact on service delivery and what mitigation we can put in place.
“Once a week we have a meeting, usually over the phone, with the police, fire service, and other agencies where we exchange information and intelligence.”
In the days leading up to October 31, the phone calls are set to take place on a daily basis.
Mitigating risks
“WE can never wholly mitigate no matter how much we stockpile and research our suppliers,” Mr Shephard said.
“While we have asked our key suppliers about their contingency plans, we don’t know who their suppliers are, that’s a challenge for local government.
“There’s an awful lot of effort going on assessing what the immediate and shortterm impacts will be.
“If it becomes apparent we will be crashing out with a no deal Brexit some of those risks may be heightened.
“Things are also still emerging – in the past couple of weeks for example we have received advice over water supplies and the potential disruption to chemical supplies that private water suppliers use to treat the water [ Shared Regulatory Services which monitor private water supplies in the county have indicated that suppliers in Bridgend use a different method of treatment].
“A lot of the longer-term impacts will be about the economy and what replaces EU funds that areas like Bridgend have maximised for as long as I can remember.”