Council plans for life after Brexit

A VALLEYS council has revealed the plans it has to keep foodbanks stocked if donations drop off due to uncertainty around Brexit.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council has laid out how it is preparing for the possibility of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on October 31, potentially without a deal.

The council says that as foodbanks are heavily reliant on donations from individuals, uncertainties over the impact Brexit could result in a shortterm drop in donations.

The council has worked with local foodbanks to see if they have any specific concerns and if the council can help them. The council has said it will put money towards buying some supplies and this is being supported and matched by local housing associations.

The Welsh Government has announced that a grant will be available to support short-term interventions such as buying additional stock of key commodities on behalf of foodbanks and distributing them.

A meeting has taken place with the local foodbanks that operate in RCT and the council has confirmed it will apply for this grant funding with the aim of supporting them over the coming months.

The council says it has made preparations for a potential no deal in other areas, including:

■ Meals: The council has carried out a review of a number of the many frontline services it provides.

For school meals, meals on wheels and council care homes, alternative menus are being drawn up to take into account any potential shortages.

The council says it has an appropriate level of cleaning and janitorial supplies, sanitary provision such as hand soap, toilet paper, male and female sanitary products and food for care homes to cover any short-term disruption to supplies.

■ Suppliers

The council has been in touch with its suppliers to ask for statements on how prepared they are for Brexit.

The council has also reminded suppliers of the importance of reviewing their workforces in order to implement the European Union Settled Status scheme where they need to.

The council says that there are no significant issues from the responses received so far but some suppliers have stated that due to the uncertainties around what Brexit could mean to them they are not in a position to provide absolute assurance at the moment.

■ Council vehicles

In terms of keeping council vehicles moving, the council says forecasting what parts may be needed could be difficult and those that have to be sourced from abroad may take longer to obtain and could cost more.

Failure to obtain the required spares in time will mean that the council would have to seek support from hire companies until the parts arrive.

The council has a fuel plan in place which will be mobilised in the event of a national fuel shortage. The aim of the fuel plan is to ensure that prioritised council vehicles have the appropriate fuel that could be used to deliver services, and also to transport key staff to and from their workplaces.

Should a national fuel shortage happen, the council will also work in partnership with health services to ensure that those residents that require specific appointments to be honoured, such as dialysis patients, are picked up and dropped back home.

■ European Union Settled (EUSS)

The latest figures show there are around 1,500 EU nationals living in Status RCT. The council has mapped the communities across RCT where EU nationals reside.

A small team of community cohesion officers covering Cwm Taf will use the data to help raise awareness of the EUSS scheme as well as keeping tabs on any sign of underlying unrest in RCT’s communities.

South Wales Police say they are aware of no underlying tensions associated with Brexit within RCT.

The council’s overview and scrutiny committee will look at the Brexit plans at a meeting tomorrow.