Senior Marsham Street officials have stepped up their preparations for Brexit after complaints from frustrated councils that they were being shut out of the process.
A letter seen by The MJ, addressed to council and combined authority chief executives indicated the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) would step up its co-ordinating role in Whitehall.
The ministry has now promised to hold six regional workshops to bring together ‘senior officials from departments and key officers from councils for more granular discussions’ and appealed directly for the sector to get more involved.
In the letter, MHCLG director general Jo Farrar wrote: ‘I am aware of sector frustration that more information on the potential impact of EU exit on local areas and councils has not been readily available due to its sensitivity, but we are working hard to pull such analysis together so it can be shared.'