Cuckmere and Pevensey Catchment Partnership
Roles and Responsibilities
Delivering WFD though Integrated Catchment Management
Defra rolled out the catchment based approach (CaBA) in May 2013 to help deliver WFD Objectives
at the local Catchment Scale. The Cuckmere and Pevensey Catchment Partnership was established
later that year to deliver Integrated Catchment Management using Defra’s CaBA.
Integrated catchment management is all about collaborative advantage. That is – doing something
collaboratively with others, because that achieves more than operating alone. Therefore, each
organisation involved in the catchment partnership should reap more than they invest.
Catchment Hosts: The Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) and South East Rivers Trust (SERT) took on the
role of co-hosting the catchment, to provide the Partnership with access to Defra funding for CaBA,
but also to reposition itself strategically as catchment management evolves.
The fundamental role, for the catchment’s host, is to provide local leadership, to help enable the
delivery of actions through collaboration and engagement by enabling partners to see the benefits
from working together as opposed to working in isolation. This is achieved through facilitating
meetings and discussion to identify common ground, running events to promote ideas and raise
awareness, and galvanising the development and implementation of relevant ideas.
Role of Catchment Hosts
• convening and leading the Steering Group and Sub Groups
• advocating the work and priorities of the three Sub Groups that sit under the Steering Group
• encouraging collaboration for project delivery across the catchment
• thinking strategically for the benefit of the partnership rather than the individual
EA Catchment Co-ordinator: The Catchment Co-ordinator is the EA point of contact for all
organisations in the partnership, to coordinate all aspects of EA business to deliver integrated work
within the catchment, and to work closely with the host to provide the following support.
Role of Catchment Co-ordinator
• provide practical support in facilitating Steering and Sub Group meetings
• provide advice and guidance to the catchment host on embedding integrated catchment
management
• support activities through provision of evidence and expertise, analysis of environmental
pressures and sources of those pressures;
• access to EA resources to deliver projects and initiatives in collaboration with others where this
meets WFD objectives
• establish and maintain links between EA specialists and partnership organisations
• identify and collate local actions to protect and improve water status, which can be included in
River Basin Management Plans and maintain links between the Partnership and River Basin
Management Plans to ensure actions can be delivered
Over the past year positive steps have been taken to develop the host role, alongside the catchment
coordinator and roles of the partnership. The Catchment has been divided into 3 Operational
Area/Sub Groups to reflect the different pressures, issues and priorities within each of these Areas
and capture the interests of local groups and organisations who have a particular interest in a specific
geographical area or issue.
An over-arching Steering Group sits above these 3 sub groups. The Sub Groups meet quarterly at a
single day workshop, the day is divided into 3 sessions so partners can attend one or more of the sub
catchment sessions. The Steering Group also meets quarterly on a separate date, usually a couple of
weeks following the main Partnership workshop. Diagram 1 shows the current structure for delivery
and priorities for each sub group.
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Partnership members: Partners are individuals and organisations within the partnership, who
contribute to discussion and agreement, investigate and suggest opportunities, and contribute to the
delivery of actions.
The Catchment Partnership Hosts Grant is to support the establishment and maintenance of
partnerships across England’s catchments, in line with Defra’s policy framework for an integrated
catchment based approach to include WFD Delivery. The policy specifies the need for partnerships
to:
1. Work collaboratively and in a way that enables all catchment stakeholders to input in to the
planning & delivery of environmental outcomes.
2. Set out priorities in a way that is meaningful for them, possibly via the production of a
Catchment Plan, which might include the impacts that the partnership is seeking to
address, and how this might be done.
3. Produce a public statement or Partnership Terms of Reference to outline Priorities.
4. Work towards becoming financially self sustaining. Hosts will need to ensure that there is
appropriate focus on this aspect given that further Defra funding beyond 2015/16 is unlikely
5. Respond to the Environment Agency’s updated River Basin Management plan consultation
which begins in September.
The partnership is represented by the following groups and organisations;
Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative
Natural England
Country Land and Business Association
Pevensey Advisory Group
Cuckmere Flood Forum
Rother District Council
Cuckmere Valley Parish Council
Rother Voluntary Action
East Sussex County Council
South East Rivers Trust
Eastbourne Borough Council
South East Water
Freshwater Habitats Trust
Southdown Angling Association
Friends of Cuckmere
South Downs National Park Authority
Hastings Borough Council
Southern Water
Lewes District Council
Sussex Wildlife Trust
National Farmers Union
Wealden District Council
National Trust
Wild Trout Trust
Steering Group: The Steering Group consists of members of the Partnership which provide unbiased
support to the partnership Sub Groups and champion the CaBA though sustaining and motivating
delivery across the catchment. They are positioned to ensure priorities within each sub catchment are
co-ordinated to deliver the best outcome for the catchment as a whole and that actions are fully
integrated across the catchment by identifying opportunities for collaborative working both within
Cuckmere and Pevensey and neighbouring catchments to ensure all components of WFD, surface
water, groundwater and the marine environment are indentified and incorporated.
Opportunities for the Hosts and Partnership Members
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raising the profile and status of their organisation/group locally and nationally
using catchment partnership funding to supplement themselves and other organisations in
performing this role
forging a strong alliance with EA and partner organisations to help deliver WFD objectives
developing strong networks and relationships with partner organisations to help deliver their own
objectives
creating a strong position from which to access wider funding streams for on-the-ground
improvements
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Diagram 1 – Structure of the Cuckmere and Pevensey Catchment Partnership
Cuckmere and Pevensey
Steering Group
Combe Haven Sub Group
To improve surface water quality
with particular reference to
addressing urban pressures which
affects the designated bathing
waters in Bexhill and Hastings.
The partnership is starting to link
in with existing projects and
initiatives, by establishing a group
of volunteers to help monitor and
report incidents and build a
stronger evidence base.
Pevensey Sub Group
To improve the quality and
ecology of surface waters in the
Pevensey Levels, a designated as
a SSSI, SAC and RAMSAR site.
To address the ongoing and
worsening situation of invasive
species in particular floating
pennywort. The partnership is
starting to establish its role
beyond that currently fulfilled by
the statutory agencies by looking
at opportunities for engaging
volunteers to help control
Pennywort.
Cuckmere Sub Group
To consider the challenges within
the catchment, namely the
future of the Estuary and
structures in the main river
which are causing obstruction to
fish passage.
The catchment partnership is
positioning itself to use the
expertise that exists within the
partnership to promote projects
throughout the catchment that
will improve the WFD status of
the river, including fish passage
and habitat improvements.
Catchment Wide
• To protect and improve surface and ground water quality by raising awareness and improving land
management through collaborative work with external partners, namely local Water supply and
waste water companies over the implementation of their Asset Management Plans and Natural
England’s Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative.
• to agree and deliver actions needed to optimise coastal habitats
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