John Halsall named South East Water chief executive amid supply crisis

South East Water, the beleaguered utility facing a proposed £22m fine over supply failures affecting nearly 300,000 people, has appointed a new chief executive designate. John Halsall, who previously held senior roles at Thames Water, South West Water and Network Rail, will take over from David Hinton pending regulatory approval. The announcement comes as the company remains under intense scrutiny for repeated water supply outages in Kent and Sussex – incidents that left tens of thousands of customers without water or with low pressure in November, December, January and May. Halsall said his immediate priorities were “responding to customers’ immediate concerns” and delivering short-term improvements, while in the longer term he would oversee the company’s largest ever investment programme of £2.1bn to “improve reliability and resilience”. “I look forward to working with our customers, community partners, regulators and colleagues to rebuild trust in South East Water, drive the improvements the business needs to deliver and make the changes people want to see,” he said. The appointment was welcomed by Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin, who said: “Bringing in leadership from outside the organisation is the right decision. After years of managed decline, fresh leadership and ideas are urgently needed. I hope this marks a genuine turning point for the company.” Halsall’s predecessor Hinton – who earned £400,000 and was awarded a £115,000 bonus last year – will leave after a handover period. His departure comes as the company grapples with major infrastructure problems and a debt pile of £1.3bn, according to its annual report. South East Water raised its prices by an average of 7% from April, bringing the typical annual bill to £324. The regulator Ofwat has proposed fining the firm £22m over issues that affected 286,000 people in Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023 – a penalty that reflects the scale of the company’s failures. Whether Halsall can restore confidence in a business saddled with debt, angry customers and an enormous fine remains to be seen.