Agenda item

To consider the report.

Appendices to follow:

·       Appendix 1 - DRAFT SRA 2024-25 Memorandum of Understanding and Constitution

·       Appendix 2 - SRA Board paper 2024-25 Enhanced Programme and Budget

·       Appendix 3 - CONFIDENTIAL 2024-25 SRA Enhanced Programme scheme descriptions WITH COSTS

·       Appendix 4 - 2024-25-SRA Enhanced Programme scheme descriptions

·       Appendix 5 – Draft Somerset Rivers Authority Strategy and Flood Action Plan 2024-2034

Following consideration of the officer report and discussion, the Executive agreed:

a.     To Somerset Council continuing in the role of Host Authority and Accountable Body for the Somerset Rivers Authority. 

b.     To review the revised 2024-25 Local Memorandum of Understanding and Constitution set out in Appendix 1 and authorise the Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change to sign this on behalf of Somerset Council.

c.     To review the proposed SRA Budget and SRA Enhanced Programme for 2024-25, (Appendix 2 SRA Board 2024-25 Enhanced Programme and Budget) in accordance with the recommendations to be considered by the SRA Board at its meeting on 8 March 2024.

d.     To the release of funding committed from all sources in 2024-25 for the purposes of the SRA, subject to receipt of those funds, in accordance with the budget for 2024-25 as set out in Appendix 2 SRA Board Paper 2024-25 SRA Enhanced Programme and Budget.

e.     That Somerset Councillors that sit on the SRA Board can approve the publication of the SRA’s new Strategy and Flood Action Plan at the SRA Board meeting on 8 March 2024. 

f.      That the detailed management of the 2024-25 SRA Budget and Enhanced Programme within the control total allocated to the SRA is undertaken in accordance with the constitutional, financial regulations and decision-making arrangements of Somerset Council as Accountable Body.  

g.     The case (set out in ‘legal implications’ for exempt information) for Appendix 3CONFIDENTIAL 2024-25 SRA Enhanced Programme scheme descriptions WITH COSTS to be treated in confidence, as the case for the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing that information. 

The Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change, Cllr Dixie Darch, introduced the report and highlighted that Somerset Council needed, on an annual basis, to agree to be the Host Authority and the Accountable Body for the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA), and that they were also making some minor changes to the Local Memorandum of Understanding.

She then handed over to the SRAs David Mitchell, who explained that whilst the report was mainly about process and good governance, it was also about enabling, through the money the SRA could raise, extra work, with their partners across the county to reduce the risks and impacts of flooding.

During discussion the following points were made: the Winter had been very severe with localised flooding, including ground flooding, affecting more households that the 2013-2014 floods but in a more sporadic way, across different communities, many of which had not been flooded before; that a draft strategy had been circulated that recognized the issue of the changing impacts of climate change and that there was likely to be more of these types of events and the need to take a more holistic, catchment based approach across the county; that the SRA was setting up a process to award grants for community groups and city, town and parish councils which would hopefully be in place around August or September this year; how the SRA funded two Community Engagement Officers who were more than happy to talk to groups and councils about flooding; and that Somerset Council, as the Lead Local Flood Authority, had to duty to undertake investigations after flood events and they had so far managed to resource this using staff secondment.

Following consideration of the officer report and discussion, the Executive agreed:

a.    To Somerset Council continuing in the role of Host Authority and Accountable Body for the Somerset Rivers Authority. 

b.    To review the revised 2024-25 Local Memorandum of Understanding and Constitution set out in Appendix 1 and authorise the Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change to sign this on behalf of Somerset Council.

c.     To review the proposed SRA Budget and SRA Enhanced Programme for 2024-25, (Appendix 2 SRA Board 2024-25 Enhanced Programme and Budget) in accordance with the recommendations to be considered by the SRA Board at its meeting on 8 March 2024.

d.    To the release of funding committed from all sources in 2024-25 for the purposes of the SRA, subject to receipt of those funds, in accordance with the budget for 2024-25 as set out in Appendix 2 SRA Board Paper 2024-25 SRA Enhanced Programme and Budget.

e.    That Somerset Councillors that sit on the SRA Board can approve the publication of the SRA’s new Strategy and Flood Action Plan at the SRA Board meeting on 8 March 2024. 

f.      That the detailed management of the 2024-25 SRA Budget and Enhanced Programme within the control total allocated to the SRA is undertaken in accordance with the constitutional, financial regulations and decision-making arrangements of Somerset Council as Accountable Body.  

g.    The case (set out in ‘legal implications’ for exempt information) for Appendix 3 CONFIDENTIAL 2024-25 SRA Enhanced Programme scheme descriptions WITH COSTS to be treated in confidence, as the case for the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing that information. 

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED: As set out in the attached report

REASON FOR DECISION: As set out in the attached report