Chief executives have told communities secretary James Brokenshire Whitehall needs to be more joined up between departments and in its communications with councils over Brexit.

The message was delivered during the first meeting last week between Mr Brokenshire and the nine chief executives hand-picked by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to act as a go-between between Whitehall and the sector.

Despite the urgency of the situation, senior local government figures believe that Brexit-related issues are still being addressed individually through Whitehall silos, which has led to councils being bombarded by numerous letters from a range of departments.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on MHCLG to ensure that messages and information sharing is more co-ordinated.

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