YORK council is set to get £210,000 to help prepare the city for Brexit.

The Government announced it would be handing out more than £50 million to local authorities to help them plan for Britain leaving the European Union.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says the cash could be used to help councils “adapt to the changes caused by Brexit” and protect vital local services. It suggests the money could be spent on recruiting extra staff who will be able to help residents with questions about the impact of Brexit.

A spokesman for City of York Council has said there is no further information on how the local authority plans to spend the money at the moment.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire MP, said: “Local authorities have a critical role to play in making a success of Brexit in their areas.

“I’m determined to ensure councils have the resources they need, which is why I’m releasing £56.5 million of extra finance to help them to deliver essential services and keep residents well-informed.”

The council will get £105,000 this year and £105,000 next year.

Senior councillors in York received an update on work being done to prepare the city for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit in December. As part of this, the council said it has been in discussions with partners across the city and region to make sure up-to-date information is available.

Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council are also set to benefit from the funding, with Harrogate receiving a total of £35,000 and North Yorkshire getting £175,000 in total.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said: “At a regional level we have been working with the Local Resilience Forum to review our business continuity plans and have been assessing the impact of key risks on the delivery of our services.

“We are also using advice provided by the Local Government Association on the government’s technical notes to inform our service planning process.

“We also remain engaged with business both directly through our economic development team and also through our two local enterprise partnerships.”