INFORMATION BULLETIN
Date: 1 August 2008
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Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960
Chair appointed to Regional Flood Defence Committee
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has today appointed Stephen Wheatley as the Chair of the Anglian (Central) Regional Flood Defence Committee.
Regional Flood Defence Committees are responsible for decisions made on flood and coastal erosion risk management works carried out in their regions by the Environment Agency.
The appointment will take effect from 1 August 2008 and will run until 30 June 2011.
Notes to editors
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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for appointing the Chair of the committee and a number of members; two other members are nominated by the Environment Agency and the local authorities in the area appoint the remainder of the members.
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The Anglian (Central) vacancy was advertised on the EA and Defra websites and other stakeholder websites in May 2008. The appointment followed procedures set out in the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) Code of Practice.
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The Environment Agency is required by the Environment Act 1995 to exercise its flood defence and land drainage functions through RFDCs (apart from certain financial duties). These functions include the construction and maintenance of river and sea defences against flooding and provision of flood warning systems and the regulation and improvement of watercourses to alleviate flooding of land and property.
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RFDCs are required to take an interest in all flood matters in their area and in particular to take decisions about the annual programmes of improvement and maintenance work to be carried out by the Agency. They must also decide on such matters as the extension of main rivers, the making and operation of land drainage byelaws and various issues affecting any internal drainage boards in their area. They are required annually to approve estimates of expenditure and to determine the amounts to be levied by the Agency on constituent councils.
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The appointment attracts Annual remuneration of £16,823 based on a time commitment of five days per month.
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Stephen Wheatley is a civil engineer with 31 years’ experience working for public service organisations, of which 23 have been at a senior management level. He has worked with the EA, RFDCs and Internal Drainage Boards but retired from full time employment at the end of December 2007. He has considerable experience of flood risk policy and practice, extensive contacts with stakeholders and an in-depth knowledge of the region.
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Page published: 1 August 2008