Another water boss quits in shame after main provide outages throughout community
David Hinton, chief executive of South East Water, has quit after a damning report from MPs following a major outage which left thousands without water
David Hinton has stood down(Image: PA)
Another South East Water boss has quit after a damning report by MPs. David Hinton, chief executive of South East Water has announced plans to step down just a week after the group’s chairman quit in the wake of major supply outages in Kent and Sussex.
The supplier said Mr Hinton, who joined the group’s board in 2013, would stay in post to allow an “orderly transition” over the summer while the group hunts for his successor.
It comes after former chairman Chris Train resigned last week following a scathing report by MPs, who said they had “no confidence” in the company’s leadership.
Bosses at South East Water were grilled twice by MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee over their response to multiple supply interruptions across Kent and Sussex.
Thousands of customers were left unable to access tap water, shower or flush their toilets during the outages between November and January.
Calls had been mounting for Mr Hinton to join the chairman in stepping down.
Tunbridge Wells community group Dry Wells Action had pressed for the chief executive’s departure, and for the company to appoint consumers to its board as non-executive directors to ensure their voice is “no longer overlooked”.
Efra committee chair Alistair Carmichael also recently reiterated calls for the chief executive to go as well.
South East Water said Mr Hinton confirmed there had been “no disagreement with the board relating to his resignation”.
Lisa Clement, independent non-executive director and interim chair 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.”
The water firm’s board said last week on announcing Mr Train’s resignation that it was “mutually agreed that new independent board leadership is now required to oversee a critical period of positive, transformative change for the company, its customers and local communities”.
In a report, published last Friday, the Efra committee said 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 said.
The firm was fiercely criticised over multiple failings that led to the outages, as well as its response during the crisis.
These included poor maintenance of infrastructure, failing to monitor critical risks, failing to invest or build resilience and blaming external factors such as climate change and increased demand.
The company was also accused of a disorganised 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.
Mr Hinton was grilled by the Efra committee in January, but MPs said they had concerns about the accuracy of his evidence 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 failings.
But in its report, the committee said the leadership demonstrated a clear pattern of obfuscating responsibility and “groupthink”, arguing that this is preventing their ability to analyse problems and learn lessons.
