The River Crimple, the Lower Nidd and the River Ure (which itself was formed in
1959 as an amalgamation of the Aldborough, Dunsforth, Holbeck and River Tutt IDBs) were joined to form the present Claro Internal Drainage Board in 1980.
The Claro Internal Drainage Board is a small autonomous local authority collecting
Drainage Rates. These are payable upon all properties located within a Drainage District which is deemed to be all land lying below 8 ft above sea level in accordance with the terms of the Medway letter of 1933.
Drainage Boards have two primary sources of income
- The direct rating of agricultural land and buildings
- Special levy payments received from local authorities which reflect the extent of other property in the drainage district
This income is calculated from annual values to which the Board applies a rate in the pound at a level designed to cover net expenditure each year.
In addition to this, the Board seeks contributions from developers where proposals necessitate improvement to the drainage system; invests temporary cash surpluses on the short-term money market and seeks grant aid from Defra towards the cost of any "approved" capital works. The Board also applies for and receives a Section 57(1) contribution towards dealing with upland water from the Environment Agency.
The income is used to carry out maintenance works on the adopted watercourses within the Drainage District which are cleaned out on a biannual basis. Within this Board's area there are five Special Sites of Scientific Interest.
A map of the Drainage District based upon a scale of 6 in to one statute mile and sealed by the Minister is available for inspection during the Board's normal office hours.