The council has been preparing for Brexit despite national uncertainty as to how or when the United Kingdom will leave the European Union.

Prime Minister Theresa May failed to pass a negotiated deal with the EU through parliament on Tuesday evening.

Councillors quizzed the authority’s officers on Wednesday (January 17)  and Graham Ebers, Director of Corporate Services at Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) said: “We are in some ways as much in the dark as we were many months back. What we are doing as a council is keeping an ongoing review of it.

“We have undertaken risks assessments. It is a moving beast. Following Tuesday night, some risks have gone up.”

 Mr Ebers said other authorities in the country would more likely be at risk than Wokingham Borough Council (WBC).

However, he added: “That doesn’t mean we should relax. We have to be alive to the nuances of Wokingham Borough Council.”

A team of more than 10 officers are evaluating the potential fallout of Brexit in areas which could be affected.

But no extra money is being spent on coordinating this team, with all assessments undertaken within the council’s existing resources.

A report produced for the council explained that an economic downturn may be possible after Brexit.

It read: “Wokingham borough has a high percentage of EU and other foreign-owned companies based in the borough which might make the local economy vulnerable to reduced businesses investment because trading with Europe has become more complex.”

However, it continued: “Wokingham borough has a strong economy and despite predictions of a recession during the original Brexit vote is still performing well. Because of a strong local economy Wokingham borough has performed relatively well during previous economic downturns in relation to the rest of the UK.”

Rhian Hayes, senior strategy officer at WBC, added: “We still don’t know what it would look like. Clearly, a no-deal Brexit deal would present the most risks to the borough, but there could be a general election, a second referendum, or what looks likely, an extension of Article 50.

“There could be a possible reduction of EU employees and for the council, this would be in the care sector. 13 per cent of our employees in the care sector come from EU countries.”

The council had received almost £150,000 of funding from the EU for its Elevate skills and employment service since 2015.

Ms Hayes added that “WBC doesn’t particularly rely on EU funding streams” with this the only grant given to the authority set to expire in June with no plans for renewal.

Councillor Lindsay Ferris asked if fewer EU nationals were coming to work in the borough, and while the officers could not answer this, they added that there had been a reduction of almost 50,000 EU citizens coming to the UK for work.

Councillors heard that there are 4,350 EU residents living in Wokingham.

Cllr Andy Croy asked if more correspondence could be issued to those from EU countries who work for the council and live in the borough about how the council is preparing for the event.

He continued: “Can we say to our residents we will be looking out for them. It is the last we can do. They are paying council tax and voting in elections and the least we can do is stand up for them.”

The council report added that “the council endeavours to put in place mitigating actions to reduce possible risks and benefit from any opportunities created”.

However, Cllr Croy asked officers to explain what possible “opportunities” could arise from Brexit.

Ms Hayes answered: “We are not sure. There is probably not as many opportunities as risks.”

But Cllr Shahid Younis said: “A lot of things are not going to be in our control. We have to mitigate risks.

“But there are opportunities for SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises). We are opening up lots of opportunities for small and medium-sized companies. If you talk to SMEs they will echo this.”

Councillors discussed the impact of Brexit at a meeting of Wokingham Borough Council’s management overview and scrutiny panel on Wednesday, January 16.