(1)Where a river board have raised a drainage charge for any year the Minister may appoint not more than two additional members of the board from among persons appearing to him to represent occupiers of chargeable hereditaments in the river board area, and any member so appointed—
(a)shall be disregarded for the purposes of subsection (2) of section two of the River Boards Act, 1948 (which requires an order establishing a river board to provide for the appointment of not more than forty members in accordance with the provisions of that subsection); and
(b)shall (notwithstanding paragraph 3 of the Second Schedule to that Act) come into office on the first day of that year or the day of his appointment, whichever is the later, and hold office so long as the other members of the board will hold office, except that if, for any year beginning within that period, neither a general nor a special drainage charge is raised by the river board, he shall cease to hold office at the end of the preceding year.
(2)Before making an appointment under this section the Minister shall consult such associations and persons as appear to him to represent occupiers of chargeable hereditaments in the river board area.