Councillor Laura Gordon, Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, approved updates to flood investigation thresholds and authorised an increase in the budget for the DSIT 5G Innovation Regions Project. The meeting also confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting.

Updating Thresholds for Section 19 Flood Investigation Reports

The Cabinet Member approved proposals to simplify and update the thresholds for initiating Section 19 Flood Investigation Reports. This decision aims to support clearer, more consistent, and timely decision-making regarding flood investigations. The statutory duties of the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010¹ were recognised, acknowledging the significant number of investigations undertaken following the 2024 flooding events. The review of current thresholds was informed by analysis of recent investigations and their effectiveness. The updated thresholds are designed to better reflect experience gained from recent flood events, reduce complexity and subjectivity, and ensure alignment with available resources and national guidance, without materially reducing coverage.

DSIT 5G Innovation Regions Project – England's Connected Heartland

An increase in the programme budget for the England's Connected Heartland (ECH) programme to £6.14 million was approved. This increase of £1.44 million is funded by an additional £540,000 in grant funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and £900,000 from the Digital Infrastructure Gainshare fund. The additional investment is necessary to address unforeseen technical and site-related challenges encountered during the delivery of the programme's two flagship 5G infrastructure projects: a 5G Private Mobile Network (MPN) for the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus and a 5G MPN along the new East West Rail route between Bicester and Bletchley. Without this budget increase, the projects would have delivered reduced coverage, diminishing their strategic value and potential for future commercial opportunities. Authority was delegated to the Director of Economy and Place to finalise the associated funding contract changes.