ASSOCIATION OF SUDS AUTHORITIES - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Inland Flood Risk Manager, BCP Council
• Young Officer Group Chair / Sponsorship Co - Ordinator

Chris manages the Inland Flood Risk team at Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council and is part of the wider FCERM management team that includes Capital Projects, Asset Management and Strategy, Policy & Environment. He began his career working for Exeter University in their estate development department, setting up project and budget management systems for multi-million pound capital projects. During this period he studied part time for an MSc in Urban Water Systems and received a distinction from Exeter University in 2014. Following his post-graduate studies, Chris moved to the Dorchester and worked for Dorset County Council (now Dorset Council) where he worked in all areas of LLFA delivery, eventually progressing from assistant engineer to project (senior engineer). He has a particular interest in ensuring that new development is sustainable, resilient, and multifunctional, given the expected impacts of climate change and in promoting the importance of Development Control in reducing flood risk. After seven years in Dorset Council, Chris was appointed as Inland Flood Risk Manager at BCP Council in Jan 2022 having also just joined the ASA executive. Since moving to BCP he has been responsible for building the Inland Flood Risk team and developing BCPs Lead Local Flood Authority service. Chris is presently working alongside planning colleagues on delivering Strategic Flood Risk Assessments for BCP (Level 1 & 2) and building an in-house modelling resource to help progress Surface Water Management Plans.

Job Titles:

• Vice Chair / Training and Development Coordinator

Glen Westmore is the Flood Risk Planning and Consenting Team Leader in the Flood and Climate Resilience Team at Surrey County Council. An Environmental Engineer by training, he heads up the team assessing planning applications and providing SuDS design and retrofit advice across the county. As well as leading on the SuDS and Ordinary Watercourse agendas, Glen manages the Climate Change Adaptation programme for the County Council. Glen has been at SCC since 2015 but previously worked at West Sussex County Council covering climate change and LLFA duties, and at the Environment Agency as an Environmental Project Manager. Glen is one of the Vice Chairs and leads on the ASA Training and Development programme - so if you have any ideas for specific training or webinar suggestions please do contact him.

Job Titles:

• Civil Engineer
• Newsletter Co - Ordinator

Helen is a Senior Lead in the Flood & Development Management Team at Westmorland and Furness Council. The team are responsible for responding as statutory consultee within planning, investigating flooding and implementing flood reduction schemes. Helen is an incorporated civil engineer with over 30 years' experience in flood risk management, previously working for Cumbria County Council, Carlisle City Council, Environment Agency and United Utilities. Helen has worked for the new unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness since April 2023 following the integration of part of the old Cumbria County Council and 3 district councils. Helen is looking forward to exploring the opportunities the new unitary council will have for the future of SuDS within Cumbria.

Job Titles:

• Membership Co - Ordinator

Hilary is the Flood Risk Manager at Cambridgeshire County Council and has worked at the authority since 2015. For 5 years Hilary was the Principal Drainage Officer, working to ensure the sustainable drainage was incorporated on developments of all scales. She also led the publication of the first multi-authority Flood and Water Supplementary Planning Document in 2016. Having worked in flood risk management since 2009 across the public and private sector, Hilary brings a wealth of experience to ASA. Prior to joining Cambridgeshire County Council, she worked from the LLFA at Cheshire East Council, a consultancy preparing Flood Risk Assessments/Drainage Strategies and Groundwork Pennine Lancashire on the Sustainable Water Environment Lancashire programme.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive of ADA, the Association

Innes Thomson is the Chief Executive of ADA, the Association of Drainage Authorities, and a standing invited guest to the ASA Board. As a fellow membership services organization with closely similar objectives focusing on water and flood risk management, ADA provides administrative services and office support to ASA. Partnership working is a crucial component of success in managing water and the working connection between ADA and ASA brings together the breadth of interest in all forms of sustainable drainage on a catchment-wide basis. As a Civil Engineer, Innes has worked with water for virtually all of his professional career and is a keen supporter of the working linkage between ASA and ADA.

Job Titles:

• Online Resources Co - Ordinator

Jamie is Flood Risk Manager for Staffordshire County Council overseeing the Lead Local Flood Authority function and the provision of services to four neighbouring Councils. He has a BSc in physical geography and an MSc in water resources technology and management (civil engineering) both from the University of Birmingham. Jamie started his career in consultancy as a hydrologist before moving to the Environment Agency mostly reviewing flood risk assessments and drainage designs. He then moved to Staffordshire County Council as a principal officer in the flood team and progressed to manager in 2018. He has a keen interest in sustainable development to reduce flood risk and provide wider benefits. He is Chair of the Strategic Board for FAIR Project - a project seeking to improve innovation and community engagement in Staffordshire, Black Country and Stoke and funded under the EA's Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. He also helps shape regional and national flood policy through membership of the boards for FCERM Technical Advisors Group and MHA Plus. Jamie is currently undertaking an apprenticeship in senior leadership with MBA.

Job Titles:

• Co - Chair of the Executive Board

Laura manages the Flood Risk Management Team at Lancashire County Council. She began her career at Lancashire as a planning officer specialising in environmental planning, before moving into flood risk management and leading the County Council's work on sustainable drainage and planning. Laura has also worked in her native Merseyside as their Flood Risk Coordinator leading the FCERM Partnership and working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, before returning to Lancashire in 2020. Laura has been a vocal advocate for multi-functional sustainable drainage systems on developments for a number of years encouraging others across the North West region to utilise the planning system to best effect to deliver this. Laura works closely with the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) playing a role in delivering the Committee's Business Plan, The Flood Hub website and the North West SuDS Pro-forma as well as being regional lead for Planning and Development to 2025. Laura has also been involved with numerous national project to improve sustainable drainage, flood risk and planning as well as ordinary watercourse regulation. It was in 2013 that Laura first got involved in what was to become ASA, joining the Executive Board in 2020 and becoming both the Reference Group Chair and the Vice Chair. Laura has co-chaired the Association since September 2022.

Job Titles:

• Sustainable Drainage Team Leader

Neil Clarke is the Sustainable Drainage Team Leader within the Flood and Water Management team at Kent County Council. Aside from undertaking reviews of major planning applications as part of the statutory duties assigned to the Lead Local Flood Authority Neil also project manages flood alleviation schemes which are designed to be fitted, in the main retrospectively, to alleviate issues of flooding associated with surface water. Neil has been with KCC for 14 years starting in the Highway's Agreements team working on Section 38 and 278 schemes associated with new developments before moving to the FWM team in 2015 in association with the creation of the LLFA and their statutory duties.

Job Titles:

• Treasurer and Finance Management Lead

Paul has been the Flood Risk Manager for Wakefield District Council since 2012. His team is involved in all aspects of drainage and flood risk within the district including provision of advice on planning applications, flood investigations and working with partners to deliver schemes to reduce the risk of flooding. Paul started his career with West Yorkshire County Council in 1980 as a trainee civil engineer. He then joined Wakefield following the abolition of the County Council in 1986. At Wakefield he was involved in the Council's programme of reclamation of former colliery sites and derelict land becoming involved in drainage and flood risk in 2006. He was originally involved in the design and construction of flood alleviation schemes moving onto all aspects of flood risk when he became team manager.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Executive Board
• Vice Chair / Consultation and External Relations

Vicky is lead on Water for the Greater London Authority, in the Climate Adaptation Team. Previously spent ten years initiating the LLFA role in London Borough of Hillingdon and developing the programme of flood risk delivery as the Flood Risk Manager, as well as the then new statutory role in planning.

Job Titles:

• Co - Chair of the Executive Board

Vikki is the Sustainable Drainage Team Leader at Buckinghamshire Council. Vikki joined the council in 2015, after the commencement of the LLFA's statutory consultee responsibilities. Since starting at Buckinghamshire, Vikki has been instrumental in the development of the Sustainable Drainage team. She has also guided the team through the transition from a county council to a unitary authority. Alongside providing advice on major developments, Vikki has developed local arrangements so that the team provide advice on some minor developments. Vikki has been a keen member of the Association of SuDS Authorities since its transition from LASOO. Previously acting as the organisations secretary, then moving to the Vice Chair role and currently holds the role of Co-Chair. In her Co-Chair role, Vikki wants to ensure that ASA continues to develop its network and help members with the successful delivery of SuDS.