Could you be
the next dedicated and impact focused leader to help deliver local ambitions to
tackle flooding and coastal erosion? Do you have the combination of excellent
chairing skills, strong strategic thinking and effective leadership across
different organisations at a senior level?
If so, this is
an exciting opportunity to play a key role in working with other bodies to make
a more resilient future. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs is looking to appoint Chairs to the Anglian (Northern), Trent, Wessex
and Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs).
RFCCs are an
important part of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM)
community, providing a link between government, risk management authorities and
the communities they serve.
The four RFCCs we
are appointing Chairs for are: Anglian (Northern), Trent, Wessex and Yorkshire.
The Anglian
(Northern) RFCC covers Greater Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, the South Humber,
Welland, Nene and Witham catchments and the Fens, Wash and Lincolnshire coastline. The
Committee area is one of the most diverse parts of the U.K. The Wash is an
internationally-protected Ramsar site, as well as a Special Area of Conservation,
highlighting the significance of this area for its ecological importance. The
principal urban areas include Lincoln, Grimsby, Boston, Peterborough, Spalding,
Kettering, Corby and Northampton.
The Committee
area also contains a significant length of coastline which is at risk of
coastal erosion and sea/tidal flooding. As well as beach resorts, such as
Skegness, the Humber in the North of the area is a focus for business
regeneration and investment in flood defence schemes. In the south, Northampton
has benefited from measures to reduce flood risk, and the Northampton Washlands
project aims to direct development away from floodplains and to promote flood
storage areas.
Agriculture is
essential to the area with over 80% of agricultural land classed as grade 1 and
2. In our towns and cities there is a rapidly-developing hi-tech industry
and an increasing population. These varied landscapes and industries are vital to
the livelihoods of the people who live and work in the Lincolnshire and
Northamptonshire area communities, within this Anglian Northern RFCC area.
The Trent RFCC covers an
area of approximately 10,500 km2. Land use within the catchment is dominated by
agriculture which accounts for roughly 63%. However, it is also home to
approximately 6.9 million people and contains many major urban centres namely
Birmingham (and the wider West Midlands conurbation), Stoke-on-Trent, Derby,
Leicester, and Nottingham.
There is great variation in the physical characteristics of
the area, from low lying ground, such as the broad flat flood plains of the
Tame and Trent, to steep dramatic landscapes, such as those found in the Peak
District National Park. As a result, the response to rainfall and the mechanism
of flooding differs significantly throughout the catchment. For these
reasons, the Trent RFCC champions Innovation and Natural Flood Management with
two dedicated sub-groups to support and explore new ways of working.
We’re committed to reducing flood risk in our area, making
communities more resilient and adapting to the challenges of a changing
climate, which is ever more critical with Storms such as Babet, Ciaran and Henk
causing significant flooding and record-breaking river levels across the Trent
Catchment.
In the East Midlands alone, the Environment Agency is
working on 52 flood risk projects to return assets to the condition they were
before the storms last winter, and in the West Midlands area flood defences
protected 8000 properties from flooding in Burton and Tamworth in January 2025,
this is in conjunction with flood defence schemes in construction, such as
projects in Stoke on Trent to both protect existing homes and businesses and
help regeneration in the heart of the City.
The Wessex RFCC
covers the eastern part of England’s southwest peninsula. It includes the
Bristol and English channels, and covers the counties of, or parts thereof,
Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire. With a mix of rural
and urban areas it includes the major conurbations of Bristol,
Bournemouth, Poole, Bath and Weston-Super-Mare. The
natural environment in Wessex is very special with a diverse range of habitats
supporting a varied biodiversity. The marine environment is equally
special with around a third of its coastal waters in marine protected areas.
The
natural environment in Wessex is very special with a diverse range of habitats
supporting a varied biodiversity. The marine environment is equally
special with around a third of its coastal waters in marine protected areas.
Its
coastlines vary greatly, and its wide range of drainage basins and rivers
mean that Wessex is subject to coastal, fluvial, surface water and groundwater
flooding. Multiple causes of flooding affect many locations in both urban and
rural areas.
The Yorkshire
RFCC runs along the North Sea coast from Whitby to
Kingston upon Hull and stretches inland as far as Skipton.
Yorkshire
covers a diverse geography with over 5 million residents and a makes a substantial contribution to the national economy. At the same time, it
is vulnerable to the risk of flooding from many sources – rivers, surface
water, tidal, groundwater – and includes some of Europe’s fastest eroding
coastline. The impact of our changing climate is evident across the region with
rising sea levels, increased storm frequency and changing wave patterns,
meaning that managing coastal change will become an ever-increasing and
important challenge.
As Chair of one
of these RFCCs you will play a key role in working with local authority
representatives, water companies and other committee members, helping to steer
multi-million-pound investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management for
the benefit of homes, businesses and local communities.
You will work
in partnership to ensure that national policies and approaches are implemented
whilst taking account of local circumstances and needs. Skilled in bringing
together different voices and opinions, you will play a pivotal role in
approving capital and revenue investment programmes, raising local levies,
securing external contributions and ensuring effective community engagement.
To succeed in
this challenging role, you will need strong strategic leadership, chairing and
communication skills which bring together different voices, balance competing
interests and embrace equality, diversity and inclusion. You will have also
have a good understanding of how flood and coastal erosion risks affect local
communities, and experience working closely with the public and private sectors to deliver
results.
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the
Commissioner’s website