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Each of the Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) within the Yorkshire & Humber Drainage Boards Consortium is a public authority established by Statutory Instrument, which is a form of secondary (or delegated) legislation.
The work of IDBs is supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). When an IDB is first established, the Defra Minister sponsors the legislation creating the IDB, appoints the initial Board members, and approves the initial and subsequent changes to the meeting procedures (Standing Orders / Rules of Assembly) that the IDB must follow.
Each IDB is accountable to its local community through its governing body, known as the Board.
The Board is made up of elected and appointed members. Elected members are chosen by the owners and occupiers of agricultural land within the drainage district and broadly represent the agricultural community. Appointed members are nominated by the relevant local authority (the council tax or special levy authority) and broadly represent the non‑agricultural community.
IDBs typically hold two to three scheduled Board meetings each year. Details of these meetings are published on this website, where agendas and minutes are also made available. All meetings are conducted in accordance with the rules of assembly, or standing orders, as set out in the Constitution section above.
The purpose of a Board meeting is to scrutinise the work of the IDB and its administration on behalf of the local community, ensuring that appropriate governance, operational oversight, and financial management arrangements are in place.
Board members may establish sub‑committees from among their number and delegate specific powers to those committees to enable them to make decisions on behalf of the Board.
Like other public authorities, IDBs manage their governance and finances through a framework of policies and procedures. These policies are developed by officers and approved by the respective Boards, usually in line with recognised best practice. Once adopted, Board members, officers, and contractors are required to operate within this policy framework.
For practical and operational reasons, some policies allow officers to incur expenditure and make routine decisions on a day‑to‑day basis without referring matters back to the Board. These arrangements are formally set out in schemes of delegation.
As public authorities, the work of Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) is subject to independent scrutiny. Each IDB appoints an Internal Auditor who reviews its systems, procedures, and financial records on a risk‑based basis throughout the year. The Internal Auditor reports directly to the Board.
Each IDB is also subject to an annual External Audit carried out by an independently government appointed auditor in accordance with national audit requirements. IDBs are required to consider the findings and recommendations arising from the external audit and to take appropriate action where necessary.
Local authorities may also scrutinise the work of IDBs. The Partner IDBs welcome such scrutiny and will engage constructively with any review or oversight process.
In addition, the actions of IDBs may be investigated by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. This excludes matters relating to private land drainage issues, matters falling under the regulatory remit of Defra or the Environment Agency, and issues that are, or may be, referred to HM Court and Tribunal Service.