The March and Euximoor Water Management Board Order 2026

Citation, commencement, extent and application

1. -(1) This Order may be cited as the March and Euximoor Water Management Board Order 2026 and comes into force on 17th July 2026.

• (2) This Order extends to England and Wales, and applies to England only.

Confirmation of the Scheme with modifications

2. -(1) The Scheme submitted by the Environment Agency is confirmed, with modifications.

(2) The Scheme, as modified by the Secretary of State, is set out in the Schedule to this Order.

Schedule

Article 2(2)

Scheme submitted by the Environment Agency, as modified by the Secretary of State

1. This Scheme comes into force on the day after the day on which the Order confirming this Scheme is made.

2. In this Scheme-

'the abolished boards' means the Euximoor Internal Drainage Board and the March East Internal Drainage Board;

'the commencement date' means the date on which this Scheme comes into force;

'elected members' means those members of the March and Euximoor Water Management Board who are appointed by the Secretary of State pursuant to this Scheme or elected in accordance with the provisions made by or under Schedule 1 to the Land Drainage Act 1991 and any applicable regulations made under the Act;

'the Euximoor Internal Drainage Board' means the internal drainage board constituted by the scheme confirmed by the River Great Ouse Catchment Board (Euximoor Internal Drainage District) Order 1940 as amended by the scheme confirmed by the Great Ouse River Board (Alteration of Boundaries of the Euximoor Internal Drainage District) Order 1954;

'the Euximoor Internal Drainage District' means the internal drainage district constituted by the scheme confirmed by the River Great Ouse Catchment Board (Euximoor Internal Drainage District) Order 1940 as amended by the scheme confirmed by the Great Ouse River Board (Alteration of Boundaries of the Euximoor Internal Drainage District) Order 1954;

'the March East Internal Drainage Board' means the internal drainage board constituted by the scheme confirmed by the Great Ouse River Board (March East Internal Drainage District) Order 1954;

'the March East Internal Drainage District' means the internal drainage district constituted by the scheme as confirmed by the Great Ouse River Board (March East Internal Drainage District) Order 1954;

'the new Board' means the internal drainage board constituted by virtue of paragraph 3(3) of this Scheme;

'property' means, in relation to any of the abolished boards, any property which is vested in that abolished board immediately before the commencement date and includes books of account, other books, deeds, maps, papers and other documents, in whatever medium held, and computer and other electronic records;

'rights and obligations' means, in relation to any of the abolished boards, all rights, powers, duties (including statutory powers and duties), obligations and liabilities which are vested in or which fall to be discharged by that abolished board immediately before the commencement date.

3. -(1) The Euximoor Internal Drainage Board and the March East Internal Drainage Board are abolished.

(2) The Euximoor Internal Drainage District and the March East Internal Drainage District are amalgamated into, and are constituted as, one internal drainage district to be known as 'the March and Euximoor Internal Drainage District'.

(3) A new internal drainage board to be known as 'the March and Euximoor Water Management Board' is constituted for the March and Euximoor Internal Drainage District.

4. -(1) On the commencement date the new Board is constituted to comprise 15 elected members.

(2) The first elected members of the March and Euximoor Water Management Board are to be appointed by the Secretary of State and are to hold office until the expiry of one year from the first occurrence of 1st November following the day on which they are appointed.

5. On the commencement date, all property and rights and obligations of the abolished boards are transferred to and vested in, or fall to be discharged by, the new Board.

6. All arrears of rates levied by the abolished boards before the commencement date in respect of any period ending before the commencement date may be recovered by the new Board, in the same manner as if they had been rates levied by the new Board.

7. This Scheme operates as conclusive evidence of any thing transferred under this Scheme without the necessity of further assignments, conveyance or deed of transfer.

8. The accounts of each of the abolished boards must be made up to the day before the commencement date by the new Board and audited as if this Scheme had not come into force.