As chairman of the Environment Agency, Chris Smith had even more reason than most Brits to curse the weather last winter.
It was the wettest on record, with more than 7,800 homes and 3,000 commercial properties flooded. Attacks from the press and politicians culminated in a notorious BBC interview when communities secretary Eric Pickles expressed regret for taking the agency’s advice, commenting that “we thought we were dealing with experts”.
Lord Smith says much of the criticism was unfair: “The summer floods of 2007 saw 50,000 properties flooded. The fact this year wasn’t worse was in large measure due to a lot of work that had been done by us down that stretch of river.”
During the crisis, Smith says, his priority was to “do what a dutiful government agency was supposed to: take the blame and get on with responding to the crisis. I have to say agency staff responded brilliantly to those challenges – working through Christmas and New Year, and every weekend for months.”
I am not having my staff – who know 100 times more about flood management than any minister ever will – being made scapegoats
However, when Pickles intervened, something snapped. “That was the moment I thought: ‘I have had enough of this. I am not having my staff – who know 100 times more about flood management than any minister ever will – being made scapegoats’.” The next day Smith toured TV and radio studios, pointing out that the agency had followed a set of priorities and spending levels set by government.
Smith describes the experience as “wretched”, but his resolve was stiffened by hundreds of messages of support from agency staff around the country, as well as advice to “ignore the froth” from both civil servants and even environment secretary Owen Paterson. He praises the way that officials prised extra money from the Treasury to help communities recover from the floods.
Looking back, he learnt a lot about handling the media. “The moment I fought back, and made it crystal clear who made the real decisions, they went back into their box,” he recalls. “If the same thing happened again, I would fight back earlier. You simply cannot afford to let these things get a momentum, or it turns into a frenzy looking for a villain.”