Agenda for Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) Board meeting on 6 June 2025
A meeting of the Board of Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) was held at 9.45am on Friday 6 June 2025 at the offices of Somerset Council (formerly Sedgemoor District Council’s headquarters) in King Square, Bridgwater, TA6 3AR.
Read a summary of decisions taken at the SRA Board meeting on Friday 6 June.
Read the minutes of the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) Board meeting on 6 June 2025.
Below are lists of people who attended the meeting from across the SRA partnership, plus the meeting’s agenda and reports.
Members of SRA Board:
Cllr Mike Stanton – Chair (Somerset Council)
Tony Bradford – Vice-Chair (Parrett Internal Drainage Board)
Cllr Steve Ashton (Somerset Council)
Cllr Mike Caswell (Somerset Council)
Vicky Farwig (Wessex Water – substitute)
Cllr Ben Ferguson (Somerset Council – substitute)
Andrew Gilling (Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board)
Piers Hooper (Environment Agency – substitute)
Rebecca Horsington (Parrett Internal Drainage Board)
David Jenkins (Wessex Regional Flood & Coastal Committee)
Claire Newill (Natural England)
Cllr Nick O’Donnell (Somerset Council)
Trevor Whitcombe (Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board – substitute)
Cllr Ros Wyke (Somerset Council)
In attendance:
Nicola Dawson (Somerset Council)
James Divall (Somerset Council)
Caroline Dunn (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Ross Edwards (Environment Agency)
Alex Farris (Exmoor National Park Authority)
Amanda Gallacher (Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group SouthWest)
Sam Hitchcott (Somerset Council)
Jonathan Hudston (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Alasdair Maxwell (Environment Agency)
Steve Mewes (Somerset Wildlife Trust)
David Mitchell (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Iain Sturdy (Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium)
Hugo van Dorssen (Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group SouthWest)
Apologies:
Cllr Nick Cottle (Somerset Council)
Matt Wheeldon (Wessex Water)
Ian Withers (Environment Agency)
AGENDA
1 Apologies for Absence
Purpose: Welcome and Clarification
Lead: Chair
2 Declarations of interest
Purpose: Transparency
Lead: Chair
A – Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) vacancy for Local Authority representative
Purpose: To seek support for Cllr Stanton’s election to the ADA Board as the Local Authority representative
Lead: David Mitchell
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM A SRA Board Paper ADA vacancy for Local Authority representative June 6 2025
ITEM A Appendix ADA Candidate statements and voting instructions
3 Minutes of previous meeting held on 7 March 2025
Purpose: To agree accuracy
Lead: Chair
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 3 Draft minutes of SRA Board meeting on 7 March 2025
4 Public Question Time
Purpose: To give the public chance to ask questions
Lead: Chair
5 Community Flood Action Fund Update
Purpose: Update following passing of first application deadline of 25 February
Lead: David Mitchell
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 5 SRA Board Paper Community Flood Action Fund update 6 June 2025
6 2024-25 SRA Annual Report
Purpose: Review and approval of 2024-25 SRA Annual Report
Lead: Jonathan Hudston
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 6 SRA Board Paper for Somerset Rivers Authority Annual Report 2024-25 6 June 2025
ITEM 6 Appendix 1 SRA DRAFT Annual Report 2024-25
7 Finance report and Enhanced Programme performance monitoring
Purpose: To update the Board
a) Quarter 4 2024-25 Finance Report
b) 2025-26 Finance Annual Summary
c) Quarter 4 2024-25
Leads: Sam Hitchcott, Caroline Dunn
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 7a SRA Board Paper Appendix One to Finance Report and Summary
ITEM 7b SRA Board Paper 2025-26 Finance Summary 6 June 2025
ITEM 7c SRA Board Paper Quarter 4 2024-25 performance monitoring report 6 June 2025
8 Grant amendment and top-up funding requests
Purpose: a) Upper Barle catchment project – deferral of funding request
b) Act to Adapt – top-up funding
c) Somerset Prepared – Community Resilience equipment and training grants
Leads: Alex Farris, Steve Mewes, Nicola Dawson
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 8a SRA Board Paper Upper Barle Restoration Scheme 6 June 2025
ITEM 8b SRA Board Paper Act to Adapt Top-Up 6 June 2025
ITEM 8c SRA Board Paper Equipment and Training Top-Up request 6 June 2025
9 River Sowy – King’s Sedgemoor Drain (KSD) Enhancements Scheme
Purpose: To provide the Board with an update on progress and next steps on KSD outfall structures and KSD bank raising
Lead: Iain Sturdy
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 9 SRA Board Paper River Sowy King’s Sedgemoor Drain Enhancements Scheme 6 June 2025
10 Natural Flood Management presentation
Purpose: Presentation about the national picture and evidence base
Leads: Alasdair Maxwell, Hugo van Dorssen
11 River Brue Modelling update
Purpose: Update on progress and next steps
Lead: Neil Ogilvie
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 11 SRA Board Paper River Brue modelling 6 June 2025
12 Matters arising from last meeting
Purpose: Review
Lead: Chair
13 Any Other Business (AOB)
Purpose: Please notify the Chair of AOB in advance of the meeting
BRIDGWATER EXTRA
At the end of the meeting there will be a presentation about the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier, by Dr Rachel Burden of the Environment Agency. This is a prelude to a visit to the Barrier site for Board members in the afternoon.
Board meeting information
For more information relating to this Friday 6 June SRA Board meeting, such as public attendance and access, please see the Public Guidance notes below:
Document (downloadable PDF): SRA Board Meeting Agenda and Public Guidance notes 6 June 2025
Next SRA Board meeting: 12 September 2025, starting time and venue to be confirmed.