Minutes, agenda, reports

A meeting of the Somerset Rivers Authority Board was held at 10am on 8 February 2017, at the offices of Taunton Deane Borough Council in Taunton.

Below are links to a summary of decisions taken at the meeting and the Minutes. These documents tell you what happened at the meeting.

They are followed by lists of people attending the meeting, the agenda and informative supporting documents such as reports and updates.

Documents (downloadable PDFs):

– SRA Board Summary of decisions 8 February 2017
– Agreed Minutes SRA Board 8 February 2017

Members of SRA Board:

Cllr John Osman – Chairman (Somerset County Council)
Tony Bradford – Vice-Chairman (Parrett Internal Drainage Board)
Ray Adlam (Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board)
Rachel Burden (Environment Agency)
Jeff Fear (Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board)
Matthew Heard (Natural England)
John Harris (Wessex Regional Flood & Coastal Committee)
Cllr Tom Killen (Mendip District Council)
Peter Maltby (Parrett Internal Drainage Board)
Cllr Ric Pallister (South Somerset District Council)
Cllr Anthony Trollope-Bellew (West Somerset Council)
Cllr John Williams (Taunton Deane Borough Council)

In Attendance:

Doug Bamsey (Sedgemoor District Council)
Emma Beardsley (Somerset County Council)
Tim Burton (Taunton Deane Borough Council)
Sarah Diacono (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Cllr David Hall (Somerset County Council)
Paula Hewitt (Somerset County Council)
Barry James (Somerset County Council)
David Jones (Somerset County Council)
Mike O’Dowd-Jones (Somerset County Council)
Chris Rusbridge (Defra)
Nick Stevens (Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium)
Ben Thorne (Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group SW)

Apologies:

Cllr Anne Fraser (Sedgemoor District Council)
Nick Gupta (Environment Agency)
David Jenkins (Wessex Regional Flood & Coastal Committee)

Agenda

1 Declarations of interest
Purpose: Transparency
All members

2 Minutes of previous meeting Monday, 16 January 2017
Purpose: To agree accuracy
Lead: Chair
Document (downloadable PDF): SRA Board Meeting Draft Minutes 16 January 2017

3 Public Question Time
Purpose: To give the public chance to ask questions
Lead: Chair

4 Precepting legislation and 2017-18 funding
Purpose: To update the Board on Progress of legislation, 2017-18 Funding
Leads: Chris Rusbridge, Defra, Local Authority Leaders and IDB Board members

5 Review and revision of Work Stream 6: Assessing the Flood risk long term choices and options for a sustainable future
Purpose: To update the Board
Lead: Mike O’Dowd-Jones, Somerset County Council
Document (downloadable PDF): Review of Work Stream 6

6 Review and revision of Work Stream 4: Resilient Infrastructure
Purpose: To update the Board
Lead: David Jones, Somerset County Council
Document (downloadable PDF): Review of Work Stream 4

PLEASE NOTE: The reports for Item 7 are not confidential, with the exception of two papers which have been made available only to Members. These contain exempt information and are therefore marked Confidential – Not for Publication. At any point if Members wish to discuss information within these papers then the Board will be asked to agree the following resolution to exclude the press and public:

Exclusion of the Press and Public

To consider passing a resolution under Regulation 4 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 to exclude the press and public from the meeting on the basis that if they were present during the business to be transacted there would be a likelihood of disclosure of exempt information, within the meaning of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

Reason: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

PLEASE NOTE: The reports for Item 8 are not confidential, with the exception of one paper which has been made available only to Members. This does contain exempt information and is therefore marked Confidential – Not for Publication. At any point if Members wish to discuss information within this paper then the Board will be asked to agree the following resolution to exclude the press and public:

Exclusion of the Press and Public

Reason: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

8 SRA 2016/17 Quarter 3 performance reports
a. Request for additional funding
b. Performance reports, 1. Progress and risks, 2. Finance
Purpose: To request additional funding, and by exception to update the Board
Leads: a. Ben Thorne, b.1. Sarah Diacono, b.2. Emma Beardsley
Documents (downloadable PDFs):
8a
– FWAG Highway and West Somerset referrals extension
8b.1
– Q3 2016-17 Dashboard Enhanced Programme Progress Risks
– SRA Q3 2016-17 Enhanced Programme Update
8b.2
– SRA Q3 2016-17 Finance Update
– Q3 2016-17 Financial Summary

9 Flood Action Plan specific updates
a. Taunton Strategic Flood Alleviation Improvements Scheme
b. Bridgwater Tidal Barrier
c. Dredging Strategy and plans
d. Sowy/KSD (King’s Sedgemoor Drain) funding plan
Purpose: To update the Board on key projects
Leads: a. Brendan Cleere, b. Doug Bamsey, c. Nick Stevens, d. Sarah Diacono
Documents (downloadable PDFs):
9a
– Taunton Strategic Flood Alleviation Improvements Scheme update
9b
– Bridgwater Tidal Barrier Site 4 and Site 5 Locations
– Bridgwater Tidal Barrier update
9c
– Dredging Strategy update
9d
– Sowy/KSD funding plan update

10 SRA Constitution and MoU 2017-18
Purpose: Decision
Lead: Sarah Diacono
Documents (downloadable PDFs):
– SRA 2017-18 MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) and Constitution
– Appendix – SRA Local MoU 2016-17

11 Risk sharing across the partnership
Purpose: To inform the Board
Lead: Barry James
Document (downloadable PDF): Risk Sharing

12 Any Other Business (AOB)
Purpose: To raise urgent items (agreed with John Osman prior to the meeting)
Lead: Chair