Unlike Theresa May, Coun Bob Wright, the chairman of Swindon Borough Council’s scrutiny committee didn’t postpone a discussion over the authority’s preparations for Brexit - despite Coun Emma Faramarzi’s joking suggestion.

Instead, councillors on the committee quizzed the council’s leader Coun David Renard and  the cabinet member for economic prosperity Coun Oliver Donachie about a report setting out possible good and bad consequences for Swindon, and the council after the UK leaves the EU.

And Coun Renard said that there had been plans made for potential civil unrest.

Questioned by Coun Stan Pajak, who asked what plans had been made for “civil unrest, or disruption to food supplies or essential services” Coun Renard said: “We are a member of the Local Resilience Forum and there are plans in place. I don’t want to say too much in public but any potential issue has been considered.”

It was confirmed by Coun Donanchie, and Phillipa Venables, the  director of strategic growth that Swindon did benefit from money from the EU in the form of the  European regional development fund and the European structural investment fund. She said that contractual agreements were in place to keep those payments going, even after March 2019, “as if nothing has happened.”

Coun Jim Robbins, who works for an MEP, clarified that that ran up to December 2021, the end of the contract period.

In a discussion of whether large companied such as Honda, which relies heavily on “just in time” deliveries, and small businesses in Swindon were prepared for Brexit Coun Wright said there could be unforessen consequences.

He said: “I urge you not just to think of Just in Time. There is also the question of market dominance. Just in Time can get round problems by warehousing – but the companies with market dominance can buy up all the slots in a limited supply and that has negative consequences for other businesses. Bigger companies will do everything possible to get their vehicles through and smaller companies will be victims of that.”

Coun Donachie said: “The trouble is, we have projections and figures. But this hasn’t been tied before, so nobody knows how it will work.

“All we have is educated guesses. My best guess, and it’s just a guess, is that there will be benefits and disadvantages, but there won’t be a massive disruption. And we will help businesses wherever we can to exploit the opportunities that arise.”