A rate of 15.0p was raised.
The Clerk referred to the death of the present Chairman, Mr W E D Burton on Wednesday 6th February 2011. The Clerk pointed out that Mr Burton had been a Commissioner since 1966; been Vice Chairman between 1981 and 1984 and had been Chairman since 1984. The Commissioners stood in silence as a mark of respect.
Mr J L Brown was appointed as Chairman and Mr C Miller was appointed as Vice-Chairman.
The Clerk reminded Commissioners of the need to declare interests in any relevant matters. Declarations were duly made.
The Commissioners discussed at length the current position on the Flood and Water Management Act and the Public Bodies Bill. The Clerk drew attention to the continued need for vigilance regarding this Bill, even though the most controversial aspects of the Bill had been withdrawn.The Clerk also drew attention to Defra's statement that £225,000 of savings would arise from changes in the Bill, without specifying how this might arise.The Commissioners further considered the proposals for amalgamations and agreed to open negotiations with March and Whittlesey IDB with a view to possible amalgamation.The Clerk reported on the newsletter from the Cambridgeshire Flood Risk Management Partnership.
The Clerk also reported on developments regarding the spreading/disposal of spoil, grant-in-aid and the Water Framework Directive.
The Commissioners received the report of their Consulting Engineers and it was felt that the District system was generally in good order.
The Environmental Officer's report and BAP update was noted and approved.
Determinations of annual value were made and rate arrears written off.
The Commissioners noted the position regarding the unchanged precept figure and agreed to pay the subscription to ADA for 2011.
The payments and accounts were approved and approval given to the Annual Governance Statement. The Commissioners approved the report of their internal auditor, their Internal Audit Strategy and Plan and Risk Register and resolved that they were satisfied with the internal controls in place. The use of internet banking facilities was also authorised.