The WLGA has developed a checklist for councils to use to assess their key risks. The sort of issues it will aim to cover when considering how a No Deal / Worst Case Scenario would play out locally are outlined as follows:
- Workforce audit (Internal/Contract) (How many non-UK EU workers in the workforce? Any key/specialist workers? What are their plans?)
- Impact of loss of EU funding on existing and future planned projects
- Local economy impact assessment – Identifying and understanding investment plans of local companies (especially in ‘at risk’ sectors) and considering any knock-on supply and service contract issues (including impact on business occupancy in local authority owned units)
- Consideration of service by service impacts (For example: Using sector specific reports e.g. The NHS Welsh Confederation Briefing - The key issues for health and social care organisations as the UK prepares to leave the European Union (View here) and drawing where appropriate on EU Preparedness Notices (View here) and Government No Deal Guidance - How to prepare if the UK leaves the EU with no deal (View here)
- New institutional arrangements – Implications? (For example: plans for a new independent environment body to replace the European Commission and European Court of Justice regarding enforcement/complaints)
- Review of Emergency plans (For example: Dealing with issues such as food shortages, energy supply issues and civil unrest)
- Discussions with partners to understand their issues (Health, FE/HE, Voluntary Sector)
- Transport impact (For example: Local transport disruption on routes to ports)
- Legal certainty (What statutory instruments need to be in place to give legal cover once EU law ends and what progress Is being made by UK Government and Welsh Government)
- Financial implications (If the UK economy nosedives the Welsh block grant will fall and financial estimates will have to be down-sized accordingly)
- Standards and targets (These are currently set in Brussels, but what will take their place and will there be pressure to reduce standards?)