The essential work of internal drainage boards

By Innes Thomson BSc CEng FICE, Chief Executive, ADA

In the last couple of weeks, we have seen the weather change, the leaves start to turn colour and the work of our flood and water management authorities focuses once again on dealing with flooding in various parts of the country.

Internal drainage boards (IDBs) have experienced some of that pressure, particularly across the East Midlands, and we still have some land absorption (soil/moisture deficit) and river capacity available to avoid more widescale issues. But that may not last long if we have regular turns of rainfall like the ones we have just seen.

Criticism has recently been levelled at IDBs in parts of the media, which poorly reflects the crucial work that they carry out in defending people, businesses, and the environment in lowland areas of England and Wales. With ADA being the membership body that helps to represent the interests of IDBs, and provides guidance and advice to them, I would like to try and clarify a number of points.

IDBs were the subject of a National Audit Office report back in 2017, which quite rightly highlighted a number of areas where improvements could be made. Work has since been undertaken to support and improve the governance of IDBs. ADA has produced the following guidance for IDB board members and their staff:

• Good Governance Guide for Internal Drainage Board Members (ADA/Defra 2019)
• Environmental Good Governance Guide for Internal Drainage Board Members (ADA/Defra 2022)
• Good Ecological Potential in Fenland Waterbodies (EA/ADA/Cambs. ACRE 2017)

Today IDBs work with a democratic balance of local people including land owners and occupiers and appointed council members. There are over 700 local authority appointed members on IDBs, and 1,100 members elected by the local occupiers of agricultural land within IDBs districts, covering the rates collected from agricultural land as well as housing and businesses.

The work of IDBs is to minimise flood and drought risk for people, business, infrastructure, and the environment, working in close collaboration with the Environment Agency and local authorities in doing that. IDBs manage water levels very carefully and in coordination with the Environment Agency, often retaining and storing water where they can within their drainage districts to protect communities. Predominantly, IDBs occur at the bottom of catchments often near/below sea level, and they do not carry out operations that make things worse downstream. IDBs also play a critical role in retaining water safely in summer months within the lowland water environments that they serve.

The overview of IDBs has strengthened in recent years. IDBs are all audited annually in line with the standards set for other local public authorities with equivalent turnover in accordance with standards and practices set for such local public bodies (JPAG Practitioners Guide). External Auditors are appointed by an independent body (SAAA).  Every IDB reports annually to Defra, with data that is published on data.gov.uk. The Environment Agency has supervisory powers over IDBs under the Land Drainage Act 1991 and can act on the instruction of the Defra Minister if required to.

Again, in recent years, significant progress has been made in how management of our water environment has become a daily routine for IDBs and today, 108 out of 112 IDBs have access to professional environmental expertise. The remaining four either have access to environmental expertise through specific board members’ expertise, or local environmental NGOs, or both. Many IDBs are leading the way in the environmental work that they are carrying out with local partners. This year over twenty projects are being delivered by IDBs as part of a Defra pilot project (LAPSIP) to retain water safely within areas of lowland agricultural peat soils and ADA is helping to coordinate that work.

I am pleased to add in that there is an increasing diversity of those getting directly involved in the management of IDBs, both in terms of staff and board membership at all levels. ADA has been an advocate for Women in FCERM, since that group’s formation and we advocate for all to be able to play a part within our sector.

It is fair to say that IDBs have come on a significant journey in the past few decades. They will undoubtedly need to continue to evolve in the future, but they fundamentally see their role as managers of water levels within the lowland areas that they serve for the benefit of those areas’ communities, businesses, and environment.

I do my job with the pleasure and knowledge that comes with seeing progression on how ADA’s members can better help those in need of support in the face of our changing climate and, with the rest of the ADA team, I am proud to represent its members and the increasingly valuable public service role they provide to manage water levels and flood risk management.

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