Sarah Mukherjee MBE and Mark Suthern have been reappointed to the Environment Agency (EA) Board for a further 12 months, with terms beginning on 10 January 2026. The move, confirmed by the Government on 13 January, keeps experienced hands on water quality, flood risk and climate resilience through a crucial year. ([gov.uk](Link

The workload ahead is stark. Updated national modelling shows 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk from rivers, the sea or surface water-about one in five homes today-with projections indicating this could rise to one in four by mid‑century without sustained action. ([gov.uk](Link

Suthern, who chairs the EA’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Committee, will be central to accelerating schemes that cut risk quickly, especially for surface water flooding, which now affects around 4.6 million properties. The Agency’s own data warns this risk will increase over time unless action is stepped up. ([gov.uk](Link

Water quality remains under heavy public scrutiny. EA figures for 2024 show 450,398 monitored storm‑overflow spills; while spill numbers fell slightly from 2023, discharge duration edged up to a record 3,614,428 hours. From January 2026, confirmed ‘dry day’ spills will count in the regulator’s annual performance assessment-raising the bar on compliance. ([gov.uk](Link

Mukherjee continues to serve on the People and Pay and the Environment and Business committees, aligned to the South East and East area hub. Outside the EA she leads IEMA, bringing a mix of industry engagement and clear public communication honed as the BBC’s Environment Correspondent. She was awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to agriculture and farmer wellbeing. ([gov.uk](Link

Suthern is aligned to the Midlands hub and brings long experience in rural finance from his years leading agriculture and landed estates banking at Barclays. Beyond the EA he chairs the Arthur Rank Centre, advises the University of York’s FixOurFood programme and sits with Ceres Agri‑Tech-links that can help scale farm‑level innovation and climate adaptation. ([gov.uk](Link

The EA Board sets strategy and holds the executive to account. It currently comprises a Chair and eight members appointed via the public appointments process; listed non‑executives include Chair Alan Lovell alongside Mukherjee and Suthern. ([gov.uk](Link

Priorities for the next 12 months are clear: translate the national flood risk assessment into local delivery, target nature‑based and property‑level measures where they cut risk fastest, and ensure storm‑overflow reductions are verified and sustained. The EA’s latest national report confirms one in five homes are already in flood‑risk areas, underscoring the need for timely, evidence‑led decisions. ([gov.uk](Link

These are 12‑month extensions rather than new multi‑year terms, signalling a focused year for delivery and scrutiny. Communities will judge progress by fewer flood damages and cleaner rivers. With fuller monitoring and tougher metrics now in place, the Board has a clearer basis to demand measurable results from regulated bodies and delivery partners. ([gov.uk](Link