Greenwich Council has no specific plans in place to deal with Brexit, it has been revealed.

The UK is set to leave the EU next year, and authorities across the country have been monitoring the negotiations with Brussels to see what kind of deal we will be left with.

With so many unknowns, it has not been uncommon for local councils to develop Brexit plans to deal with a volatile economy or potential budget pressures.

At nearby Southwark Council, a panel has been established, headed up by a cabinet member for Brexit, to review the impact the split will have.

Councils such as Bristol and Kent have been planning behind the scenes to deal with the impacts of a no-deal, with the former preparing for “social unrest” should we leave on those terms.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, Greenwich Council said it has no such plans.

 “The Royal Borough of Greenwich has not produced a Brexit impact assessment or produced specific Brexit preparedness plan”, the council said in its response.  

“Any potential impact on services as a result of Brexit will continue to be reviewed as part of the regular business planning cycle.”

The council said it has a focus on the loss of EU funding, replacement funding, the rights of EU nationals and trading impact on local businesses.

It added that it was a member of the Local Government Association (LGA), which works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong voice with national government.

“The LGA has held regular meetings with the Department for Exiting the EU and other ministries and this close relationship is expected to continue throughout the transition period and into the post-Brexit period”, the response said.

“The LGA has produced a number of documents outlining areas of interest for councils going forward and we currently await publication of the governments remaining technical papers on the ‘no deal’ scenario. The council continues to keep this issue under review.”

This comes just a week after Greenwich councillors agreed to back a People’s Vote on Brexit.

At last week’s full council meeting, Councillor Ian Hawking said: “I believe that the Government cannot negotiate something satisfactory for the British people. Public mood has significantly shifted.

“The only democratic way forward is to let the British people decide with a People’s Vote.

“We have already seen unprecedented cuts to funding, our communities are at breaking point. As a council, we should have a right to advise our residents of our thoughts and let the Government be under no apprehension as to where we stand.”