Well he dillied and he dallied
Sir Philip Dilley, controversial chairman of the Environment Agency, has resigned.
His resignation statement included this explanation:”My reason for resigning is that the expectations of the role have expanded to require the Chairman to be available at short notice throughout the year, irrespective of routine arrangements for deputy and executive cover. In my view this is inappropriate in a part-time non-executive position, and this is something I am unable to deliver. Furthermore the media scrutiny focused on me is diverting attention from the real issue of helping those whose homes and businesses have flooded, as well as the important matter of delivering a long-term flood defence strategy. This same media attention has also affected and intruded on my immediate family, which I find unacceptable.”
It’s hard to believe how much the role must have unexpectedly expanded, isn’t it – I mean who’d have guessed that he might have needed to be available more than 2 or 3 days a week for his £100k?
We can see though that being subject to media scrutiny over his links with Arup might not have been a pleasant experience. Perhaps the next chairman will be lucky enough not to have any current links to the industries that the EA regulates, and thus won’t have to put up with this sort of intrusion from the media?
We can only hope.
Of course his boss Liz Truss, the Environment Minister gave him the usual valediction, including the rather improbable suggestion that “He .. leaves it a much better organisation“.
Since 2014 when he took up his chairmanship the EA has suffered so many cuts that this is a bit hard to swallow – particularly as the impacts were so predictable and the predictions were so accurate.
