Agenda item

To note and discuss the planning and preparedness of services set out in the report.

Fiona Gaffney (Head of Resilience and Emergency Planning) were in attendance for this item.

1.    Mrs Stewart introduced the report that set out an overview of the plans and work undertaken to date in preparation for potential changes to border arrangements following Brexit. The three key services were Trading Standards, Highways and Transport and Emergency Planning/ Business Continuity, the details of the planning progress to date were set out within Table 1 of the report. Mrs Stewart informed Members that further detail would be presented to Full County Council on 13 December 2018.

(a)  In response to concerns regarding the possible closure of the M26 and the resilience of the local road network, Mr Whiting (Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste) said that Kent County Council’s expressed wish was that the M26 would not be closed due to the detrimental impact it would inflict upon the local road network and that alternative adequate parking for lorries should be sought. As a supplement to this, Mr S Jones (Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste) informed the Committee that the A21 was part of the Highways England network and mitigation plans for that network fell within their remit. In reference to the A25, Kent County Council had started to analyse the impact and deterioration on that asset should the traffic conditions change, and a proposal was in the process of being submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) which identified the mitigating actions required in the necessary event of the M26 road closure.

(b)  In response to Members request for an all Member briefing, the Chairman agreed to liaise with the appropriate officers to ensure a Member Briefing be held in January 2019. 

(c)     With regards to business continuity, Mrs Gaffney assured Members that Kent County Council was using a phased approach to ensure full engagement with all its stakeholders and partners agencies. The first phase included planning and preparation work to ascertain the impact on local communities in terms of business resilience and the impact on areas such as supply chains. The second phase would be to review the operational activity required. National communications had started to be issued from Central Government regarding the actions that would need to be implemented immediately. Kent County Council would then move to a command and control phase and work in conjunction with partner agencies to understand the intelligence received from Central Government and how Kent’s command and control resource structures could be optimised. The fourth phase would be the recovery of Kent post Brexit which Kent County Council would take the lead on.

(d)  Mrs Stewart assured Members that the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) had been actively developing contingency plans and testing assumptions and proposals.  The Membership of the KRF had extended significantly and a range of different scenarios and durations of disruptions were being considered, including the impact on critical supply chains such as medicines and ensuring these were safeguarded in the event of a serious disruption.  Mrs Stewart advised Members that a definite proposal could not be met until a final ministerial decision had been taken regarding the outcome of Brexit.

(e)    Mrs Gaffney informed the Committee that there were Port Resilience Groups established to look at the wider impact of Brexit, however, the details of specific areas concerning Kent’s ports sat within the remit of the Department for Transport.

(f)    In response to concerns regarding Government funding, Mrs Gaffney said that a threat and risk assessment was being used to monitor and identify the possible pressures presented to partner agencies as a result of Brexit. The evidence would then be used to form a joint bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for additional funding should the opportunity present itself. Further information regarding funding would be presented in the report to Full County Council on 13 December 2018.

(g)  With regards to additional resources, Mrs Gaffney confirmed that areas that required additional resources had started to be identified through the business continuity plan. The existing National Memorandum of Understanding set out the regions responsibility to respond should Kent County Council require additional resources from other councils and discussions had already taken place.

2.    RESOLVED that the report be noted.