Agenda item

Leader presented the report, which was an update on the post Brexit/trade arrangements since December 2020.

Since the previous report in June 2021 the deadline (30 June 2021) for EU/EEA citizens to apply for EU Settled Status had passed.

The UK Government (Home Office) reported that many citizens had applied and received the outcomes of their Settled Status application.

This Cabinet, Welsh Government and other local authorities maintained that people from the EU, EEA or Switzerland were and would always be welcome in Wales and Newport.  The contribution that this made to our communities, public services and businesses was invaluable.

The Home Office reported 5,020 people were granted Settled Status and 3,350 granted Pre-settled status in Newport.  While this was very positive for Newport, there were still people who would not have applied and were likely to be some of our most vulnerable citizens.

The Council’s frontline services had already seen EU residents and their families experiencing hardship was a result of their migration status. Now that the deadline passed, it was expected that the numbers would increase in the next year.

Newport Council, alongside its partners, would continue to do its utmost to ensure people were supported to exercise their rights in the UK and raise awareness across staff and other professionals of the needs of EU citizens.

Since the new trade arrangements were in place with the EU, it was a challenging time for businesses across Wales to adjust and comply with the new regulatory requirements. 

The wider economy was also facing many challenges with supply chains and costs of particular goods and services increasing to meet consumer demand.

There were also certain sectors in the economy such as transport and hospitality that were also facing labour market shortages.  While much of this could be contributed towards the Covid crisis there was also evidence indicating that Brexit was having an impact on particular areas of the economy. 

To date, the Council and the delivery of some of its projects did not identify any significant areas of concern in relation to their supply and costs.  This would be an area which the Council would continue to monitor closely over the next six months.

With the UK no longer able to access European funding and existing EU funded projects finishing over the next 18 months, the UK Government launched two new funds: Levelling Up Fund and the UK Community Review Fund for local authorities across the United Kingdom to apply.

Despite the short timescales, which the Council had to prepare and submit applications, Newport was able to submit projects that would benefit Newport and its communities.

If successful, the Levelling Up Fund provided an exciting opportunity for Newport to regenerate the Northern Quarter of the City with the ‘greening’ of key areas and streets around the train station providing a gateway into the rest of the city centre.  

For the UK Community Renewal Fund, we received 11 applications from private, not for profit, charity and other sectors of the economy.

The applications submitted by the Council would contribute toward the Public Service Board and the Council’s priorities as we emerged from the Covid pandemic.

Despite all of this work by the Council and organisations, there was no guarantee that Newport and the organisations applications would be successful in being awarded funding due to the UK Government making these a competitive process. 

The council would find out the outcomes of both applications later in July. 

Decision:

Cabinet considered the contents of the report and noted the Council’s Brexit response.