Agenda item

That the Cabinet note the current position and the activity the Council has undertaken to mitigate risks.

The Service Lead Finance introduced a report that updated on the potential impacts of a ‘no deal’ Brexit on Slough and the Council’s operations.

There remained a risk that the UK would leave the European Union on 31^st October 2019 without a deal and the Council had therefore continued its planning for such an eventuality.  The risk analysis was set out in the appendix to the report and Members were provided assurance that these issues had been assessed and mitigated as far as possible.  A weekly reporting process was in place to the Corporate Management Team, which was also circulated to Lead Members.

The Cabinet discussed some of the key risks including workforce issues with the potential loss of EU nationals working in sectors such as construction, education, health and social care.  Speaking under Rule 30, Councillor Strutton expressed the view that some potential benefits of Brexit were not included in the report, for example the opportunity for the Council’s housing companies to purchase residential properties more cheaply if there was a downturn in the housing market.  The Officer responded that there was more detailed internal plan on housing issues.

At the conclusion of the discussion the report was noted.

Resolved –  That the current position and the activity the Council had undertaken to mitigate risks of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit be noted.