Our Services
The Middle Level Commissioners’ are appointed by other local Internal Drainage Boards to act as their clerk and the MLC employees also provide and/or facilitate via external service providers a range of services to local IDBs:
· Office Management
· Governance
· Finance
· Legal
· Property & Estates
· Insurance & Utilities
· Advocacy & Relationships
· Ecological & Environmental Services
As consulting engineers:
· Authorisations
· Operational Services
· Mechanical & Electrical Services
· Asset Management, Survey & GIS
· Strategic, Spatial and Development Planning
· Consenting Services
· Capital Works
These services are provided within the boundaries of the skills and capabilities of existing MLC employees, the overall capacity of the organisation and within existing and upcoming commitments. The Middle Level Commissioners staff structure is available here.
We are developing a new service catalogue and fee structure with the intent to go live from 1st April 2026 with some aspects of the service likely to be reset sooner.
This document outlines the engineering consultancy standard conditions of engagement for the Middle Level Commissioners.
This form is meant for use for work delivery requests from IDBs that is considered outside or over and above ‘business as usual’ services woven into the ‘admin fee’ currently charged to MLC administered IDBs. In time this form will be updated and become part of the new service provision catalogue.
This form need not be used for routine planning, consenting or routine M&E work on behalf of IDBs or for operational work requests where MLC already provide routine services to the specific Board via our Operations Manager.
Focussing our services
We have made the business decision to focus our clerking and technical services offer to IDBs within the Middle Level where there is water management connectivity with the Middle Level Commissioners’ catchment. This includes Sutton & Mepal IDB and Manea & Welney DDC. We have therefore given notice to a number of local IDBs outside of the Middle Level that their service provision from us will end on 31st March 2026.
Technical, Operational, Environmental and M&E Services will be prioritised in the following manner:
a) Middle Level Commissioners
b) IDBs within the Middle Level administered by MLC (inc M&W and S&M)
c) IDBs within the Middle Level not administered by MLC
Private work
To ensure no conflict of interests within our service provision to IDBs, we will not undertake private work for ratepayers, landowners, developers, or any prospective consent applicant.
It is particularly important that ratepayers’ and Board Members understand and respect this position within any works they plan or are involved in that may need consent from the IDB or MLC. This will support Board Members in managing their own conflict of interest and within their code of conduct.
There may be exceptions to this that will need to be reviewed and agreed between the MLC Chief Executive/Clerk and IDB Chairman.
Work requests from Private Districts within the Middle Level and other parties will be considered on a case by case basis.