Agenda for Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) Board meeting on 11 September 2026
A meeting of the Board of Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) will be held at 9.45am on Friday 11 September 2026 in the Taunton Town Council Committee Room, Belvedere Road, Taunton, TA1 1HE.
Below are lists of people expected to attend the meeting from across the SRA partnership, plus the meeting’s agenda and reports.
Public questions to the SRA Board can be put about matters on the agenda or other subjects of relevance to the SRA. If you would like to put a question to the Board, for answering at the meeting, please send in your question by 12 noon on Tuesday 8 September. Email sra@somerset.gov.uk
You can attend in person to put your question or you can ask somebody else to do it for you. Or you can just send it in and get a reply by email after the meeting. Questions and replies are also published on this website. For more details see: Somerset Rivers Authority Board Meeting Agenda and Public Guidance Notes 11 September 2026
Members of SRA Board:
Cllr Mike Stanton – Chair (Somerset Council)
Tony Bradford – Vice-Chair (Parrett Internal Drainage Board)
Cllr Steve Ashton (Somerset Council)
Anthony Betty (Parrett Internal Drainage Board)
Cllr Mike Caswell (Somerset Council)
Ian Collins (Wessex Regional Flood & Coastal Committee)
Cllr Henry Hobhouse (Somerset Council – substitute)
Cllr Marcus Kravis (Somerset Council – substitute)
Claire Newill (Natural England)
Wendy Welland (Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board)
Matt Wheeldon (Wessex Water)
Ian Withers (Environment Agency)
Cllr Ros Wyke (Somerset Council)
In attendance:
Dr Bel Deering (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Jennie Channing (Somerset Rivers Authority)
James Divall (Somerset Council)
Caroline Dunn (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Ross Edwards (Environment Agency)
Paul Elliston (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Sam Hitchcott (Somerset Council)
Piers Hooper (Environment Agency)
Anna Meares (Somerset Council)
Neil McWilliams (Somerset Council)
David Mitchell (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Iain Sturdy (Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium)
Apologies:
Cllr Claire Sully (Somerset Council)
Jonathan Hudston (Somerset Rivers Authority)
Cllr Nick O’Donnell (Somerset Council)
AGENDA
1 Introductions and apologies for absence
Purpose: Welcome and clarification
Lead: Chair
2 Chair’s update
Purpose: To update on any matters of relevance to the SRA Board since its last meeting
Lead: Chair
3 Election of New Chair
Purpose: To elect a new SRA Board Chair
Lead: David Mitchell
4 Declarations of interest
Purpose: Transparency
Lead: Chair
5 Minutes of previous meeting held on 5 June 2026 and Matters Arising
Purpose: To agree accuracy, and discuss any matters arising from the last meeting
Lead: Chair
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 5a Draft Somerset Rivers Authority Board Meeting Minutes 5 June 2026
ITEM 5b SRA Board Paper Matters Arising 11 September 2026
6 Public Question Time
Purpose: To give the public chance to ask questions
Lead: Chair
7 Update on £50million flood resilience funding
Purpose: To update the Board about the latest developments on this project
Leads: James Divall, Piers Hooper
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 7 SRA Board Paper Update on £50 million flood resilience funding 11 September 2026
8 Presentation on Taunton Integrated Catchment Study (ICS)
Purpose: To update the Board about this project
Lead: Anna Meares
9 Finance report and Enhanced Programme performance monitoring
Purpose: To update the Board
a) Quarter 1 2026-27 finance report
b) Quarter 1 2026-27 performance monitoring
Leads: Sam Hitchcott, Caroline Dunn
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 9a SRA Board Paper Quarter 1 2026-27 Finance Report 11 September 2026
ITEM 9a Appendix One to Finance Report 11 September 2026
ITEM 9b SRA Board Paper Quarter 1 2026-27 Performance Monitoring Report 11 September 2026
10 A358 Donyatt Hill flood reduction works
Purpose: To request additional funds
Lead: Neil McWilliams
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 10 SRA Board Paper Top Up Funding Request for A358 Donyatt Hill Flood Reduction Works 11 September 2026
11 Community Flood Action Fund (CFAF) update
Purpose: To update the Board on the first 18 months of CFAF
Lead: Caroline Dunn
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 11 SRA Board Paper Community Flood Action Fund Review 11 September 2026
ITEM 11 SRA Board Presentation Community Flood Action Fund Review 11 September 2026
12 Riparian Theory of Change
Purpose: To seek Board support for next steps in process
Lead: Paul Elliston
Document (downloadable PDF): ITEM 12 SRA Board Paper Riparian Theory of Change 11 September 2026
13 Any Other Business (AOB)
Purpose: Please notify the Chair of AOB in advance of the meeting
Lead: Chair
14 Paper to note: SRA Annual Report 2025-26
Purpose: To mark the recent publication of the SRA Annual Report 2025-26
Documents (downloadable PDFs): ITEM 14 SRA Board Paper Somerset Rivers Authority Annual Report 2025-26 11 September 2026
ITEM 14 Appendix 1 Somerset Rivers Authority Annual Report 2025-26 PDF
Board meeting information
For more information relating to this Friday 11 September SRA Board meeting, such as public attendance and access, please see the Public Guidance notes below:
Document (downloadable PDF): Somerset Rivers Authority Board Meeting Agenda and Public Guidance Notes 11 September 2026
Next SRA Board meeting: 4 December 2026, 9.45am, in Shepton Mallet.