A MEETING OF THE KING’S LYNN INTERNAL DRAINAGE BOARD WAS HELD IN THE BOARD ROOM, KETTLEWELL HOUSE, AUSTIN FIELDS INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, KING’S LYNN, NORFOLK ON WEDNESDAY 25 APRIL 2007 AT 10 AM Elected Members Appointed Members * J R Askew King’s Lynn & W N B C J S Austen * J Ansell * R Brown B Archer * H G Cross J Bantoft * P N Didwell B Bullivant I Gaunt * M Chenery of Horsburgh * S C Keene P Cobb * J A Kooreman Lord Howard of Rising G A Lane P Gidney R S Markillie * R W Groom * S A R Markillie * D Harwood * J Means * D Johnson * D Symington M Langwade * I T Symington * Mrs E Nockolds * J C J Wootton D Rye L V Wilkinson Fenland District Council M Cotterell MBE * Present (55%) Mr H G Cross in the Chair In attendance: Mr P J Camamile (Chief Executive), Mr L V Wright (Clerk/Finance Officer), Mr J M Worfolk (Chief Engineer), Mr G Howe (Superintendent) and Mrs L Mayer (Conservation Officer) ID King’s Lynn IDB, Minute Action 112/07 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 112/07/01 Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Messrs B Archer, J R Askew, J Bantoft, B Bullivant, P Cobb, M Cotterell, Lord Howard of Rising, M Langwade and R S Markillie. 1 ID King’s Lynn IDB, Minute Action 113/07 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 113/07/01 Mr S A R Markillie reminded those present that he was also a member of South Holland Internal Drainage Board. No further declarations of interest were made. 114/07 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING HELD ON 17 JANUARY 2007 114/07/01 The Minutes of the last Board meeting held on 17 January 2007 were approved and signed as a true record. Arising therefrom: 114/07/02 Telemetry (104) In response to Mr S A R Markillie’s request for an update, the Superintendent confirmed that the alarm level had been set too high and this has now been rectified. 114/07/02 Clerk’s Report – Consortium (106) The Chief Executive confirmed that the Consortium Management Committee had appointed a Finance Officer - Mrs Karen Daft, who was a Certified Accountant and met all the criteria of the staffing requirements set out in the DEFRA Review of IDBs. 115/07 MINUTES OF THE FINANCE/AUDIT/GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 10 JANUARY 2007 115/07/01 The Minutes of the Finance/Audit/General Purposes Committee meeting held on 10 January 2007 were considered in detail and approved. Arising therefrom: 115/07/02 Possible Relocation of Office (167) In response to Mr Markillie’s request for an update, the Chief Executive replied that the land the Board originally proposed to purchase at Pierrepoint Pumping Station was in the process of being bought by the college. 116/07 MINUTES OF THE FINANCE/AUDIT/GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 14 FEBRUARY 2007 116/07/01 The Minutes of the Finance/Audit/General Purposes Committee meeting held on 14 February 2007 were considered in detail and approved. There were no matters arising therefrom. 2 ID King’s Lynn IDB, Minute Action 117/07 MINUTES OF THE FINANCE/AUDIT/GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 14 MARCH 2007 117/07/01 The Minutes of the Finance/Audit/General Purposes Committee meeting held on 14 March 2007 were considered in detail and approved. Arising therefrom: 117/07/02 Forward Day Centre (184) In response to Mr Markillie’s request for an update, the Chief Executive replied that the Forward Day Centre have appealed on the basis that they were served notice on behalf of the West of Ouse IDB as opposed to the King’s Lynn IDB. If desirable, it was envisaged that the tenants could be persuaded to leave the premises by 31 December this year. 117/07/03 DEFRA Grant (184) Members noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to fund capital work and that applications for grant aid from the Environment Agency were likely to become more onerous in future. It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to ensure that the Board’s Officers were properly trained and fully up to speed with current procedures, which should increase the chances of making successful grant applications in future. 117/07/04 Precept payable to the Environment Agency (184) Members noted that 7 Boards had appealed against the precept levied by the Environment Agency this year in the Northern Region. Appeals had been registered with DEFRA on the grounds of fairness, in accordance with section 140(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991. The main issues appeared to be justification, subsidisation and volatility. Although the Board did not appeal against its own precept this year, it clearly had an interest in any changes that were made to precepting arrangements following the IDB appeals. It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to seek the Board’s approval to any proposed changes in precepting arrangements should they arise and to keep the Board informed of all developments. 118/07 MINUTES OF THE CONSORTIUM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE HELD ON 11 APRIL 2007 (UNCONFIRMED) 118/07/01 The Minutes of the last Consortium Management Committee meeting held on 11 April 2007 were considered in detail and approved. There were no matters arising therefrom. 119/07 THE OPERATIONS REPORT 119/07/01 The Operations Report (a copy of which is filed in the Report Book) was considered in detail and approved. Arising therefrom: 3 ID King’s Lynn IDB, Minute Action 119/07/02 It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to hold a Plant/Works Committee meeting on 14 May 2007 in order to discuss the proposed Gaywood Links Scheme in King’s Lynn. 119/07/03 It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED for the Conservation Officer to investigate possible grant aid which may be available to construct the scrapes in the flood storage area, as part of the Gaywood Link Scheme. 119/07/04 Members considered an application for consent from a Mr I Rudd of 146 JMW School Road, West Walton, Wisbech to pipe approx. 39 metres of the Board’s School Road drain (application number BLW07AW050). It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED not to consent to this application, pending an appropriate investigation by the Chief Engineer. 119/07/05 Members considered an application for consent from a Mr J Robson of JMW Moat Road Nursery, Moat Road, Terrington St Clement Lynn to construct an agricultural storage building to no closer then 1.1 metres from the brink of the Board’s Pit drain (application number BLW07RX047). It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to consent to this application, subject to the appropriate conditions being acceptable to the applicant as determined by the Chief Engineer. 119/07/06 Members considered an application for consent from Marshland JMW Windfarms Ltd to cross a variety of Board maintained drains, which would facilitate the construction of a number of wind turbines in the Marshland St James area. A presentation was given by Marshland Windfarms Ltd to this end. It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED not to consent to this application, pending further information. 120/07 DEFRA REVIEW OF IDBs 120/07/01 Members considered the letter of 22 February 2007 from Ian Pearson – the Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment, and his request for the Board to review its organisational/management arrangements and then complete/return a Self Assessment Questionnaire. RESOLVED that this be noted. 120/07/02 Members considered the draft response to the Self Assessment Questionnaire, as prepared by the Chief Executive and recommended by the Consortium Management Committee. It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to approve the response to the Self Assessment Questionnaire regarding the Board’s future organisational/management arrangements. 120/07/03 Members considered DEFRAs Implementation plan and timetable for action, following the Review of IDBs. It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to ensure that the Board seek to implement all of the actions at the appropriate time and both the Consortium Management Committee and the Board monitor implementation accordingly. 4 ID King’s Lynn IDB, Minute Action 121/07 THE CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT, DATED 30 MARCH 2007 121/07/01 Members considered the Consortium Agreement dated 30 March 2007 which had been formally approved and duly executed by the Board’s Chairman and Clerk/Finance Officer on 30 March 2007. The four parties to this agreement were Broads (2006) IDB, Norfolk Rivers IDB, King’s Lynn IDB and South Holland IDB. It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to approve the Consortium Agreement of 30 March 2007 as before said. There were no matters arising therefrom. 122/07 MONTHLY EXPENDITURE SHEETS 122/07/01 The Monthly Expenditure Sheets up to and including March 2007 were considered in detail and approved. There were no matters arising therefrom. 123/07 SCHEDULE OF PAID ACCOUNTS 123/07/01 The Schedule of Paid Accounts from 1 January 2007 to 31 March 2007 was considered in detail and approved. Arsing therefrom: 123/07/02 It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to consider condensing or PJC summarising the Schedule of Paid Accounts. 123/07/03 It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to review the cost of telephone PJC charges and the possibility of a more cost/effective supplier/tariff. 124/07 PLANNING/BYELAW ENFORCEMENT POLICY 124/07/01 It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to Review the Board’s PJC Planning/Byelaw Enforcement Policy and prepare a Report for Members consideration as soon as possible. 125/07 WORKING INSPECTION 2007 125/07/01 It was agreed and thereby RESOLVED to attempt to arrange a visit to RG the Middle Level Commissioners St German’s Pumping Station on the Board’s working inspection this year.