Regional flood and coastal committees: membership and boundary change

Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs) are Committees established by the Environment Agency under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. They bring together:

• members appointed by Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs)
• independent members with relevant experience

There are 12 Committees in England and each has a Chair appointed by Defra.

We have 2 changes to the RFCCs that we would like your views on:

1. Variation of the composition of 3 RFCCs:

On 21 July 2021, Robert Jenrick (Secretary of State for the then Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) announced the decision to take forward proposals (following a public consultation) to reorganise councils in:

• Cumbria
• North Yorkshire
• Somerset

The local government reorganisations mean a change to the Constituent Authority Membership of 3 RFCCs in these areas:

• North West RFCC (covering Cumbria)
• Yorkshire RFCC (covering North Yorkshire)
• Wessex RFCC (covering Somerset)

The changes mean new councils will come into existence in April 2023. There are no proposed changes to the number of LLFA members or independent members to the RFCCs. But we are required under legislation to consult on any potential changes.

2. English Severn and Wye RFCC boundary change:

When the English Severn and Wye RFCC was created in 2012, an incorrect mapping layer was used for the RFCC boundary at the southern edge. This has had no substantive impact on the running of the English Severn and Wye RFCC, as since 2012, the RFCCs have been working to the correct boundaries.

It is now proposed that an amendment to the boundary map is submitted to correct the issue.