On Monday afternoon Portsmouth City councillor, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, gave evidence to the Commons Brexit Select Committee in relation to issues arising at the ports and on the region’s highways, should there be a no-deal EU Brexit.
He shared the frustration of those working on the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum – headed by the Chief Constable for Hampshire Constabulary – about the lack of support from the Department for Transport.
Request for DfT funding rejected
Cllr Vernon-Jackson explained that a request for mitigation funding to put measures in place so the region could avoid traffic chaos, had been rejected by the DfT.
Adding that should a no-deal Brexit take place, Portsmouth and Hampshire councils would have to spend in the region of £4m.
Preparations “hampered by poor engagement”
Reading a statement from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum, Cllr Vernon-Jackson explained the preparations for a non-deal EU Brexit plan had been “hampered by poor engagement from the DfT”, with extended delays in provision of key planning information “such as traffic modelling”.
He said information requested in November 2018 was not received until February 2019 and that it had been sent to the Channel Islands, who, he informed the Committee, had been told “not to give it to Portsmouth”.
Worst case scenario discredited
Cllr Vernon-Jackson went on to add that the Forum did not consider the “assessment of the reasonable worst case scenario as credible”.
He added that the Forum was “extremely disappointed” at the DfT’s 25th March decision to not support the local mitigation plan – which could result in the councils having to find £4m to avoid traffic chaos in the event of a no-deal EU Brexit.
“Systematic refusal from the DfT to engage ”
All the way down the line, the view of the Forum is that the DfT “has behaved very badly” and “we’ve had no support from them at all”, he said.
This was despite holding briefings for local MPs; having discussions with James Brockenshire MP; one of the local Portsmouth MPs being a Cabinet Minister; but that “none of whom have been able to make any headway with the DfT”.
He said,
“There has been a systematic refusal from the DfT to engage in any way.”
Concern for Channel Islands
He finished by saying that he “felt sorry” for those in the Channel Islands.
“90% of everything in the shops in the Channel Islands goes from Portsmouth. If there’s a storm or the ferry can’t get through, after 24 hours there are gaps on the shelves. If we get total gridlock, which is a real possibility, people in the Channel Islands have a real problem.”
Vernon-Jackson: Furious at DfT
Cllr Vernon-Jackson tweeted his fury about the DfT following the meeting:
At Commons to give evidence to Brexit Select Committee, but furious that Dept for Transport have turned down funding for Portsmouth Port to make sure there is no traffic chaos if there is a no deal Brexit. £4 million from Ports & Hants councils have had to spend, won’t be refunded pic.twitter.com/uzQHcs1L9H— Gerald VernonJackson (@geraldvjuk) March 25, 2019
You can watch the footage via the Parliament Live TV below.
Our thanks to Alex Varley-Winter for the heads-up.
Image: © Parliament TV
