On 12 November 2013, Alun Davies AM, Minister for Natural Resources and Food announced in a written statement that he had decided to transfer the functions, assets and staff of the Powysland, Lower Wye and Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels Internal Drainage Boards (IDB) to Natural Resources Wales. This will end the role of locally funded and governed Internal Drainage Boards who manage water levels in the Severn Valley in Powys, across the Newport Levels and in the Wye Valley. The Welsh Government intend for the changes to take effect from April 2015.
Prior to this decision, views were invited on the future delivery of IDB functions in Wales via a consultation in 2012. From the outset the Welsh Government had stated that the preferred option would be delivery through the new single body. Yet the majority of respondents (30 of the 39 responses) preferred retaining and substantially reforming the IDBs in Wales, including NFU Cymru. Other matters, such as the establishment of Natural Resources Wales in April 2013 and the report by the Welsh Audit Office (WAO) into Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels IDB have had a bearing on the Welsh Government’s decision.
That WAO investigation highlighted that the IDB had previously failed to sufficiently put in place a number of key governance arrangements. In accepting the general conclusion of the report the IDB’s new management team had sought, and substantially implemented, the sixteen recommendations made regarding accountability and clarity on the spending of public monies. Some recommendations required legislative changes.
One aspect that needs clarification concerns the operational delivery of the Board. In the forward of the Welsh Public Accounts Committee’s report, the Chair stated that the Board's wrong doings "potentially put the lives and property of thousands of people at risk". This statement was repeated in both the local and national press.
The Board and the Association of Drainage Authorities have highlighted that this is a severe misunderstanding and fundamentally incorrect. The WAO report had focused on governance issues alone and did not comment on the Board's operational performance. Land drainage operations were never compromised during the Board's past operations. In fact, during a period when many parts of Wales and the UK have suffered significant flooding this Drainage District remained unaffected highlighting the good work of the operational staff at Caldicot and Wentlooge Levels IDB.
Time will tell whether the decision to move towards a more centralised delivery of flood risk management and away from local decision making will be beneficial to areas of special drainage need in Wales and the people, property and land they served.