To receive the updates report from the Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG).

[Statutory bodies; 15 minutes]

Gemma Dando reported that, following feedback from the board about the information provided to the Nutrient Management Board (NMB), the SOG had met to explore its future role, particularly in the context of the emerging Nutrient Management Plan.  It was noted that consideration was being given to its purpose, terms of reference, and membership.  It was proposed that representatives of the NMB and the SOG meet before the next board meeting to advance this work.

Andrew McRobb, Pat Stirling, and Councillor Swinglehurst volunteered to support this activity; Merry Albright expressed interest following the board meeting.

To receive the updates report from the Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG).

[Statutory bodies]

The Chairperson welcomed the updates and invited comments from board members and other meeting participants.  The principal points included:

·             Gemma Danda reported that, following comments made by the board at the last meeting (note 17 of 22 October 2025 refers (link)), the SOG had considered its purpose and ways of working, and that there was an appetite to refresh the terms of reference.  The board was invited to provide further feedback about the information being shared.

Councillor Charlton said that the board should review the arrangements regularly and provided an update on officer representation from Powys County Council.

·             Merry Albright made a number of points, including: the 'River Wye Special Area of Conservation 2025 growing season monitoring summary report' was interesting but it was considered unfortunate that monitoring had been paused at two sites during part of 2023 and all of 2024, and that more testing points would be helpful; attention was drawn to the RePhoKUs document 'Soil Phosphorus Status and Water Quality in the River Wye, Phase 3: Surplus P and Subsoil P Enrichment of Wye Soils', particularly the ongoing issues with legacy P; and, with reference made to national funding opportunities identified in the Natural England slide, it was suggested that there should be clarity about the allocations for initiatives in the catchment and the nutrient reductions that were anticipated.

·             Pat Stirling considered that there was a need to articulate targets and measurable outcomes to provide insight into progress over time.

To receive the update report from the Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG).

[Statutory bodies]

The River Wye Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG) Update slide deck was provided in the agenda.

The Chairperson drew attention to the SOG Meeting Summary of 24 September 2024 (agenda page 18) and expressed concern that the limited text did not provide the Nutrient Management Board (NMB) with sufficient information to undertake its agreed role to both advise and ‘challenge decision makers on their proposals, plans and decisions/actions’, nor did it demonstrate the SOG operating principle of working ‘openly and collaboratively with the NMB, seeking and taking into account the NMBs views in its decision making’; River Wye governance, October 2023: SOG terms of reference (link).

Other board members commented on the need: to understand who was participating in SOG meetings; to provide keys to graphs and photographs included in the update; to identify definitive actions / outcomes; and for open collaboration, with the SOG being explicit about the support that the NMB could provide to the responsible bodies in their work to protect and restore the River Wye.

Dan Humphries commented on delays in the Diffuse Water Pollution Plan and Welsh Evidence Base.  Martin Quine acknowledged the potential to review the governance arrangements but emphasised the need to manage expectations, particularly in terms of progress between quarterly meetings.  Ann Weedy commented that the delays in the key documents limited the scope of the recent SOG meeting.

There was a discussion about the contents of the SOG Update going forward, with comments made about: the potential for benchmarks; the need for detailed SOG meeting minutes; and the need for additional narrative to aid understanding for non-professionals.

Noting a reference in the Natural England slides, ‘Ongoing advice to the planning department regarding the need to demonstrate that growth proposed in the new local plan and related plans can be accommodated without causing nutrient targets on the

River Lugg and the River Wye to be exceeded’, the Chairperson commented on the need to take account of the Cardiff University report on the role of phosphate and other nutrients on water quality in the River Wye.

The Chairperson provided a brief overview of the Welsh Government Water Summit (25 September 2025), chaired by the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, and commented on the positive input from the agricultural sector and the clear sightedness about the challenges.