TEST Valley Borough Council is not preparing for Brexit, but it is not alone.

Only one of west Hampshire’s four main councils is preparing for Brexit, it has been revealed.

Hampshire County Council says it is currently producing a report, looking at what the impact of leaving the European Union on March 29 will have on the region and its residents.

The authority said the report will look at the effects of a Brexit outcome both with and without a deal.

But, disclosing the information under a Freedom of Information request, Southampton City Council, along with Test Valley Borough Council, both confirmed that they had not undertaken a Brexit impact study, and had “no plans” to conduct one.

The main reason given by both council was not wanting to spend “excessive” amounts of taxpayers’ cash on conducting a report on an issue that has “many unknowns”.

Winchester City Council did not respond to the request.

It comes less than six months before the country is set to leave the EU on March 29.

Hampshire County Council leader Roy Perry said: “Brexit is not easy, and setting a balanced budget with this in mind is not easy.

“I try as hard as I can to keep the council out of the Brexit debate, but we will need to make our own assessment.

“We will look to make our own assessment on the implications for the people of Hampshire with or without a deal. There will be implications so it is important that we make sure that Hampshire is as well prepared as it can be.”

A Test Valley Borough Council spokesperson said: “We have not considered it prudent to spend taxpayers’ money on commissioning an external assessment on the impact of Brexit.

“The Local Government Association has issued advice to all local authorities and we are factoring this in to our relevant plans for the future.”