From 1 April 2026 a single drainage body will run water level management across the Upper Ouse catchment. A statutory instrument made on 27 January confirms the merger of three internal drainage boards into the new Upper Ouse Water Management Board, covering parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire. (gov.uk)

The order signs off an Environment Agency scheme to abolish the Alconbury & Ellington, Bedfordshire & River Ivel, and Buckingham & River Ouzel Internal Drainage Boards and to create the ‘Upper Ouse Internal Drainage District’. A new board with 14 elected members will oversee the combined area; initial membership will be appointed by the Secretary of State before elections. (gov.uk)

For councils, planners and landowners this is a practical change with day‑to‑day consequences. Milton Keynes City Council already routes ordinary watercourse consents through the Bedford Group team, which handles applications and enforcement on the council’s behalf; that arrangement continues across the district. (milton-keynes.gov.uk)

Bedford Borough Council’s guidance is clear: “Where an ordinary watercourse falls within The Bedford Group of Internal Drainage Board’s district they will be responsible for consenting.” The Bedford Group adds that consent applies to “all permanent and temporary works within 9 metres” of a watercourse bank top. (bedford.gov.uk)

On commencement, the new board will take on the property, rights and obligations of the abolished bodies, with continuity for rates recovery and year‑end accounts. The Gazette notice flags that the confirmed order also covers supplementary and consequential matters to make the transition work. (idbs.org.uk)

The Environment Agency’s public notice-issued via its Brampton office in Huntingdon-set out the scheme and gave contacts, including FCRM manager Philippa Hulme, for anyone needing the deposited documents. That remains the route for formal queries tied to the statutory process. (gov.uk)

This isn’t a one‑off tidy‑up. The same Gazette edition carried proposals to reconstitute the Ouse & Derwent and Goole & Airmyn boards, pointing to a broader push to streamline governance while keeping local accountability in flood risk work. (idbs.org.uk)

What to do now: check if your land or project sits inside the Upper Ouse district and ensure any works near ditches or culverts have consent in hand well before starting. The Bedford Group office in Stewartby continues to field enquiries and publish consent guidance and forms. (idbs.org.uk)