Meeting documents

The Area Development Manager (North) provided members with a brief verbal update. She reminded members of the current main activities locally and gave the progress updates including:

·      Thorney ring bank – work started on site

·      Muchelney access – Drayton link to be constructed by winter

·      Muchelney ring bank – will follow on from Thorney

·      Long Load bridge area ring bank – flood risk assessment to be prepared

·      Visitor market plans for 2015 – in partnership with Somerset County Council and Somerset Tourism Association

·      Somerset Rivers Board – local principles agreed for review by Secretary of State

During discussion several points were raised including:

·         Ring bank near Long Load bridge unlikely to be done this year

·         The work of the Levels and Moors Task Force was completed by publication of the Vision statement for the Levels and Moors. An account of the funding providing for this work (SSDC contributed £1,000) was requested.

·         It was noted many recovery grants had been awarded and it would be interesting to receive a report back to Area North about how many grants had been awarded, what difference had they made, were businesses up and running again, and would it be possible for some of the recipients to come to a committee meeting to discuss their experiences.

In response to the query about the Levels and Moors Task Force, the Area Development Manager (North) commented she had raised this issue with Somerset County Council and the Somerset Water Management Partnership and was awaiting a response. Members agreed it would be interesting to hear of the experiences of some of the businesses who had received flood recovery grants.