Vice-Chancellor to lead new Oxfordshire flooding group

Professor Robert Van de Noort, the University of Reading Vice-Chancellor, has been appointed chair of a new group that will help Oxfordshire improve its readiness and response to flooding.

The Oxfordshire Strategic Flood Risk Group was formed as a direct result of a summit held by Oxfordshire County Council last November. The summit was prompted by the severe floods that affected Oxfordshire in January 2024, due to Storm Henk.

The group will include representatives from the city and district councils, Thames Water, the Environment Agency, the Northeast Cotswold Farmer Cluster, landowners and community flood resilience groups.

Professor Van de Noort was formerly Chair of the Thames Valley Flood and Coastal Committee.

Professor Van de Noort said: “I look forward to working alongside people representing all parts of the community across Oxfordshire. Flooding is an issue that can affect anyone and requires everyone to play their part to keep people safe from its worst impacts.

“I am fortunate to work alongside some of the world’s most eminent weather, climate and flood scientists at Reading, who advise world leaders and the UK government on how to manage flood risks. Floods will always occur, but the difference between a flood hazard and a flood disaster is in how we prepare for them and respond to them.”

The aim of the new group is to take a collective strategic overview of the management of flood risk in the county. It will support coordination of these matters with wider economic growth and water resource management initiatives.

It will also improve integration of flood risk planning and response at a strategic level in the county, and will be the central point of liaison between local, regional and national flooding policy developments.

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, said: “It is a real privilege and wonderful news for Oxfordshire to have Robert agree to contribute in this way. He is a real heavyweight in the sector, widely acknowledged as having led innovative approaches to flooding as chair of the Thames Valley Flood and Coastal Committee for eight years.

“The rapid acceleration in extreme rainfall events means the traditional approaches focused around high-risk areas are no longer enough, and we need to shift very rapidly to a whole landscape approach. Having Robert on board really adds impetus to achieving that at the pace and scale necessary.”