To receive a presentation from
the Executive Director of Place with regard to
preparations being made by Dorset Council in respect of EU Exit.
Minutes:
The committee received a presentation from
the Executive Director of Place, which set out the preparations being undertaken
by Dorset Council in respect of EU Exit. The update covered the work that had
been undertaken by the council and noted that an extension for EU Exit had been
granted until 31 January 2020.
It was reported that:-
·
Yellowhammer
had now been stood down by the Government and thanks had been received for all
the councils’ efforts. It was noted that the merging of the council’s had
assisted with the Brexit challenge by bring things together in terms of
planning for emergencies. Time had been well spent that would have had to be
done under any scenario.
·
There
were now a number of things the Government was asking
councils to do. Reference was made to the Strategic Officer group, which
consisted of officers at Director level drawn from across the organisation. The Group met on a weekly basis and the
importance of having good channels of communication for what was an emerging
situation was highlighted.
·
Focus
was on the on the EU Settlement Scheme – the Government were aware that a lot
of people had not registered for this yet. A number of
EU nationals were on the payroll and it was important to ensure the relevant
staff had the appropriate advice. There was an Advisor at the Chamber of
Commerce in place to provide information to businesses as it was suspected that
a lot of businesses would be looking for advice. Officers also had a close link
with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. It would be difficult to
predict the information businesses would need until after 1 February 2020. It
was highlighted that a lot of the communication regarding businesses was being
led by a Government programme and not directly by the Chamber of Commerce or
the LEP.
Following a
question about what the council was doing to mitigate the risk of losing a number of EU Nationals on the payroll, the Executive
Director for Place advised that because of the legislative position officer
could only provide guidance and not advice, that was the role of government
advisors. Councils had been asked to raise awareness within their communities.
There were advisors in the Citizens Advice Bureaux which could assist people.
However, officers were being vigilant about the number s of EU national staff
that were currently working for the Council. In respect of staff that looked
after vulnerable children the Government had made it clear there would be
additional funding for this. In respect
of those staff that looked after vulnerable adults, the Government were also
concerned with this, the Director of People - Adults had been involved in this
regard through the Strategic Group and helpful guidance from the Government had
been issued. The Corporate Director for
Legal and Democratic Services added that the aim was to encourage people to
register to ensure there wasn’t a shortfall in the workforce and to get some
direct communications in place using the open Electoral Register for people
that were registered to vote. The aim was to also get some direct communications
in place using the Open electoral register for people that were registered to
vote.
Following a discussion
regarding shipping and there was still a potential risk, the Executive Director
for Place advised that if Poole was one of the ports designated with additional
capacity there was now a contingency plan in place.
The Vice-Chairman
felt it would be helpful for members to receive a written report setting out a
retrospective view on how the risks had been managed along with any lessons
learned. The Executive Director - Place
confirmed that the issues were logged on the Corporate Risk Register. With
regards to Internal Audit, the Corporate Director – Legal and Democratic
Services advised that this was not in the Internal Audit workplan. However, there was report being presented to
the Senior Leadership Team shortly about the Brexit programme which would come
to the Audit and Governance Committee at a later date.
One member
expressed concern regarding farming and felt this area specifically would be
affected quite drastically. There was already evidence of labour market
problems. One of the main concerns was
for large farmers and how they would cope with this. He suggested engaging with Kingston Maurward College to encourage young people into the farming
industry.
In response to a
query about the UK shared prosperity fund, which would replace EU money, the
Executive Director – Place advised that the LEP was keen for this money to be
channelled through them whilst the Local Government Association wanted to see
the monies go through local councils.
This was still very much a watch this space scenario. With regards to procurement and whether there
would be any prospect of simplifying the process councils had to go through for
purchasing, the Executive Director advised he was hopeful that the Government
would seek to remove some of the red tape.
Decision
That members
receive a report which included a retrospective view of the processes along
with any lessons learned.