South East Water boss to step down after damning report by MPs

The chief executive of South East Water has revealed plans to step down just a week after the group’s chairman resigned due to major supply outages in Kent and Sussex.

The company stated that David Hinton, who joined the group’s board in 2013, would remain in position to ensure an “orderly transition” over the summer as they search for his replacement.

This follows the resignation of former chairman Chris Train last week after a harsh report by MPs, who expressed they had “no confidence” in the company’s leadership.

Leaders at South East Water were questioned twice by MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee regarding their response to multiple supply interruptions across Kent and Sussex.

Thousands of customers were left unable to access tap water, shower, or flush toilets during the outages between November and January.

There were increasing calls for Mr. Hinton to join the chairman in resigning.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds stated: “This must mark the beginning of positive change at South East Water, where customers’ needs are prioritized and supply outages are halted.”

Tunbridge Wells community group Dry Wells Action had called for the chief executive’s resignation and for the company to appoint consumers to its board as non-executive directors to ensure their voice is “no longer overlooked.”

Efra committee chairman Alistair Carmichael also recently repeated calls for the chief executive to leave.

Mr. Carmichael stated that Mr. Hinton had “made the right decision” by stepping down.

He urged the water company’s board to “recruit a new chief executive and get them in place as soon as possible.”

“As we have seen over the last eight years, this is a company that has never been far from serious failure, so competent leadership is urgently needed,” he added.

South East Water stated there had been “no disagreement” with Mr. Hinton over his resignation.

Lisa Clement, independent non-executive director and interim chairwoman at South East Water, said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Dave for his many years of loyal dedication and service to South East Water Limited.”

In a report, published last Friday, the Efra committee mentioned the company was “devoid of proper leadership” and “riddled with cultural problems.”

“Leadership teams play a major role in how company culture develops; culture change at this scale requires South East Water’s leadership to change,” it stated.

The company was heavily criticized for multiple failings that led to the outages, as well as their response during the crisis.

These included poor maintenance of infrastructure, failure to monitor critical risks, failure to invest or build resilience, and blaming external factors such as climate change and increased demand.

The company was also accused of a disorganized and slow response to restore supply, a lack of communication with customers, and insufficient emergency supply through water tankers and bottled water, which left some vulnerable residents without resources.

Mr. Hinton was questioned by the Efra committee in January, but MPs expressed concerns about the accuracy of his testimony and his lack of accountability.

They then recalled the chief executive alongside Mr. Train to answer further questions at a hearing earlier this month.

In a contrite appearance, Mr. Hinton admitted he “got it wrong” in his handling of the outages and acknowledged some of the team’s shortcomings.

However, in its report, the committee stated that the leadership exhibited a clear pattern of avoiding responsibility and “groupthink,” arguing that this prevents their ability to analyze problems and learn lessons.

Dry Wells Action commented that Mr. Hinton’s resignation “changes nothing in terms of the risk to our water supply” and called for the Government to halt further large-scale property developments.

“We urge them to impose a moratorium on their new homes policy in the South East Water area until it can guarantee water supplies to existing homes, hospitals, schools, and businesses,” the group stated.