Council’s contingency plans in case of no-deal gridlock
Gridlocked roads caused by a no-deal Brexit could leave household rubbish uncollected, children unable to take exams and carers unable to reach vulnerable elderly people, a report by Kent County Council (KCC) has warned.
Hundreds of council staff could have to work from home for up to six months as part of contingency plans to mitigate against the impact of Operation Brock on the M20.
The contraflow scheme, which replaces Operation Stack in the event of disruption at Channel ports, would open the London-bound carriageway to traffic while lorries are parked coast-bound.
KCC’s concerns are detailed in a 17-page report, updating the challenges a “no deal” Brexit could bring to the county council.
It warns: “An inability to travel around the county may have a direct impact on KCC’s delivery of statutory services.”
The areas of concern include Kent needing to cope with routinely holding up to 10,000 HGVs, children missing important exams such as GCSEs and SATs because of traffic gridlock, difficulties for the coroners service transporting bodies for post mortems, and an increase in the numbers of migrants arriving, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
To address the challenges, KCC says work is underway to mitigate against the problem of widespread disruption to services.
Schools have been asked to review travel plans for staff and pupils and put contingencies in place if people cannot get to school. They have also been told to plan for poor air quality caused by idling HGVs outside school buildings.
Social care services have been told to identify staff who live close to particularly vulnerable patients, who may be able to visit if their regular carer cannot reach them.
To ensure traffic can be kept moving, KCC is asking the government for £20 million to help improve roads used as diversionary routes when Operation Brock comes into effect.