CIVIC chiefs will next month get a chance to look at Hampshire’s plan for Brexit.

In a report to be presented at the county council’s next cabinet meeting, on December 10, members will discuss what impacts leaving the European Union (EU) will have on the county.

The UK is set to leave on March 29, and the authority’s report will look at the effects of a Brexit outcome both with and without a deal.

Speaking after a meeting of full council on Thursday, leader Roy Perry said: “That report will cover [several topics, including] the staffing implications for Hampshire County Council.

“We [employ] a significantly large number of social workers – a proportion of those are EU nationals working here, and we’re very concerned that there might be a loss of those workers so we will be taking great efforts to check that we give them all the work we can to guarantee their rights to live and work here in Hampshire. That is certainly a [big] concern.”

He added: “There could be implications, of course, for the port of Portsmouth, which might then have ramifications on roads in Hampshire, so we will be monitoring that pretty closely.

“Then there are just issues if there were absolutely no [Brexit] deal, like medicine, pharmaceutical. We have a number of elderly people in care [across the county] and we need to make sure that we have all the facilities available for them.

“Those are the issues that the report will be addressing, rather than a debate, which I think some possibly wanted in the council chamber just to debate the pros and cons of having another referendum. We’re wanting to look at the practical implications."

At the full council meeting, Basingstoke South East Councillor Gavin James petitioned the authority to back calls for a ‘People’s Vote’, as he believes residents should have the final say on plans to leave the European Union

Cllr Gavin James also called on the county council to publicly demand central government “abandon plans for a hard Brexit”.

Listed in the meeting’s agenda, the motion says: “Council notes that it is now more than two years since the Referendum and the Government still has no coherent Brexit plan that has the support of a majority in Parliament.

“Since the vote in 2016: The performance of the UK economy has fallen behind. It is now the slowest growing economy in Europe with productivity slipping further and competitiveness reliant on the declining value of the pound; Hampshire residents – particularly those on lower incomes – are being hit hard by rising inflation and squeezed pay rates; Confidence among investors and established businesses is ebbing with jobs moving away from the UK; Many non-UK EU nationals resident in the county have had their lives, and those of their UK-national families, destabilised by the uncertainty of Brexit. On top of the social impacts, local businesses and, above all the NHS are losing vital staff; And new investment, which Hampshire relies on for future prosperity, is being jeopardised and new job opportunities are being lost.

“Council believes that a ‘hard’ or ‘no deal’ Brexit will seriously harm the long-term prosperity of all Hampshire residents. With only 20 weeks to go before the UK leaves, it is vitally important that Hampshire County Council speaks up on their residents’ behalf.

“Council calls on the government to abandon plans for a hard Brexit and to give the people of Hampshire a vote on the final deal, along with the opportunity to vote on keeping the irreplaceable benefits Britons currently enjoy by staying in the European Union.”