The leader of Bromley Council has said there “is no need to panic” over the impact of Brexit as town halls are given emergency cash to prepare for life outside of the EU.

Local authorities across the country, including Greenwich and Bexley, have begun undertaking impact assessments to prepare for various Brexit scenarios.

Bromley Council leader Colin Smith said there have been no reported concerns in the borough over disrupted services, and that no assessments have been carried out.

It comes following an announcement by local government secretary James Brokenshire that councils in England will receive £56.5m to help them deal with the EU split.

Every council will receive a share of the pot, but more cash will be given to authorities facing the impact from local ports.

Greenwich Council leader Dan Thorpe said the burden of Brexit was being passed onto local authorities.

However, speaking about Bromley’s £210k slice of the Brexit pot, Cllr Smith told the local democracy service there was no reason to panic.

He said: “There is no clear or immediate reason to spend any of the Government’s emergency planning cash here in Bromley at present so far as we can see, but it will obviously serve as a useful contingency sum and buffer for the council’s own reserves, were any unforeseen circumstances or unexpected expenses to arise.

“My hope is that we might eventually be allowed to divert the monies and spend them on something more useful in terms of emergency planning more generally, but only time will tell whether that proves possible.

“The council will obviously continue to work as closely as possible with all key partners in the usual manner until clarity is finally established as to where we go next as a nation concerning the big question of the day, but the key message for all residents in terms of council service provision remains steady as she goes, there is no identifiable need whatsoever to upset yourselves or panic.”

It comes following a meeting on Monday night where Cllr Smith was quizzed again on how Bromley Council was preparing for a future after the EU split.

The leader reiterated previous points that there have been “no concerns” reported by senior officials at the council, and as such no assessments have taken place.

He said: “In the unlikelihood any unforeseen operational or financial liability was to arise to the downsize, the council has sufficient contingency reserves to ensure there would be no disruption to valued local services.”