GREATER Manchester councils will share more than £2 million worth of government funds to help deal with the fallout from Brexit.

Each local authority will receive £210,000, paid over two years, while the city-region’s combined authority will get £182,000.

Individual town halls will decide how to spend the cash although local leaders have recently highlighted they have been ordered to plan for Brexit ‘without knowing what it is’.

And one GM authority this week revealed results of an impact assessment that states Brexit could hit employment growth.

Trafford council boss Andrew Western told cabinet colleagues on Monday that economic analysis had been commissioned by the authority in November.

“There is only so much we can do as we don’t know what is going to happen,” he said.

“But it’s fair to say that research on the impact of  Brexit at a local level has been scant – while the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has carried out some analysis – we have tried to close the gap with this report.”

Cllr Western warned the impact on the borough’s economy is likely to result in ‘poor’ performance.

He also said employment figures would take a negative hit as a forecasted increase of 12,000 jobs by 2026 has dropped to 6,000.

“Under a deal scenario, the increase in employment has been halved – and a reduction in GVA is expected to be around £550m,” he said.

“However, if we leave the EU with no deal then the impact will be much more severe.”

Ministers announced last month that local authorities will receive a share of £56.5m to help support their preparations for Brexit.

The funding is to be used to help councils across England adapt to any changes as a result of the country’s departure from the European Union on March 29.

Communities secretary James Brokenshire 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 the extra finance to help them to deliver essential services and keep residents well-informed.”

However, the continued uncertainty over the terms of the exit from the EU saw council bosses raise concerns at a recent meeting of the combined authority.

Stockport council leader Alex Ganotis said town halls had been told to prepare for leaving in less than 50 days ‘without telling us what to plan for’.

Speaking earlier this month, Cllr Ganotis said: “There are six weeks left until we are due to leave the EU and the government clearly has no plan over crucial, crucial areas of the way this country is run and the way this country works.

“And yet they are being very clear with local authorities that local authorities need to plan for Brexit.”

And GM mayor Andy Burnham last year slammed ministers for keeping the region ‘in the dark’.

Trafford has begun preparing for all eventualities ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU, a report tabled for a cabinet meeting revealed this week.

The council has listed several areas of concern.

The economic impact assessment identified several likely impacts on the council and its ability to deliver services in the wake of Brexit, particularly in terms of a no deal.

They include a slowdown in the growth of business rates income due to fewer new businesses – and increasing unemployment.

There could also be a ‘significant’ knock-on effect of reduced employment and training opportunities for young people.

In addition, staff shortages in a number of community-related services such as health and social care, as well as higher skilled and experienced staff are expected.

And there could potentially be a reduction in school places over the next five years as the numbers of migrant families reduces.

The council and GMCA need to consider how to support and promote the ‘EU Settlement Scheme’, particularly in terms of hosting an identity verification service.

In addition, discover new resources to help companies respond to Brexit.

And determine how the ‘shared prosperity fund’ will help companies deal with leaving the EU.

There are a number of issues for the authority to consider.

They include the council’s role in supporting the settlement scheme to ensure all EU nationals are kept updated and fully informed.

“Given the likely reduction in EU workers in a number of important business sectors based in Trafford, ensuring identified local skills shortages can be met in the future is a major priority,” the report read.

Meanwhile, sharing information will be ‘vital’ as well as the ten local authorities acting as one to effectively plan for Brexit and to lobby government.

However, at a local level, the Trafford Partnership will play a key role in bringing stakeholders together to plan and monitor leaving the EU.