Shropshire Council planning for a no-deal Brexit
Emergency planners at Shropshire Council are meeting weekly to prepare the county for a potential no deal Brexit.
In a leaked email to staff, chief executive Clive Wright said the main issues for Shropshire would be around import and export, and a "whole load of work going on" to mitigate this.
In the email, he said: "I haven't mentioned Brexit so far, preferring to keep updates about what is happening within the organisation, but I think now is the time to let you know what we're doing in terms of preparation for the potential of a no-deal Brexit.
"Through our emergency planners, we are planning for the eventuality of no deal and we're also working with businesses and other partners, including the police who are co-ordinating this across West Mercia."
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He said information was coming from Cobra, the government's emergency committee, to feed into Local Resilience Forums, groups of public bodies tasked with planning for emergencies.
Mr Wright added: "The potential issues for us in Shropshire are mainly around import and export, particularly around food.
"Again, there's a whole load of work going on to try and mitigate that as far as possible. Should we get a No Deal Brexit, no doubt there will be a flurry of activity to deal with things that emerge."
Challenging
Claire Porter, Shropshire Council's lead Brexit officer, said work was being done to minimise disruption to local local businesses and council services.
She said: "There is a great amount of activity going on behind the scenes to ensure that we support our communities and businesses to be as prepared as they can be during these challenging times.
“Key officers are part of a Brexit working group and are currently meeting on a weekly basis to respond to the key issues and act upon information as and when it’s received from government.
"We are working with businesses and other partners to develop plans to ensure there is as minimal disruption to our front-line services as possible.
“One of the potential issues for us in Shropshire is around import and export, particularly food. Therefore, we have recently contacted all of our approved food premises to advise them on the steps they need to take prior to 31 October.
“I have also been appointed as Lead Brexit Officer to liaise with the government on preparations and oversee the council’s response."
