Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC)
Role of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
The Regional Flood and Coastal Committee was established by the Environment Agency under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. It brings together members appointed by Lead Local Flood Authorities and independent members with relevant experience for 3 purposes:
- to ensure there are coherent plans for identifying, communicating and managing flood and coastal erosion risks across catchments and shorelines
- to encourage efficient, targeted and risk-based investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management that represents value for money and benefits local communities
- to provide a link between the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities, other risk management authorities, and other relevant bodies to build understanding of flood and coastal erosion risks in its area
Composition of the committee
This confirms the composition for the committee established for the Thames region from April 2021.
- A Chair appointed by the minister.
- 11 persons appointed by the Environment Agency.
- The members appointed by, or on behalf of, each Constituent Authority or Group of Constituent Authorities as set out below.
| Constituent Authority | Number of members of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee to be appointed by, or on behalf of, each Constituent Authority or Group of Constituent Authorities |
| Buckinghamshire Council, Luton Borough Council, Slough Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Essex County Council and Thurrock Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of Essex County Council representing this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Hampshire County Council, Reading Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, Windsor and Maidenhead Royal Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council and West Sussex County Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Oxfordshire County Council; Swindon Council, Gloucestershire County Council, West Northamptonshire Council, Warwickshire County Council and Wiltshire Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council representing this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Hertfordshire County Council | 1 member |
| Surrey County Council | 1 member |
| Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, Havering Council and Redbridge Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Barnet London Borough Council, Brent London Borough Council, Ealing London Borough Council, Harrow London Borough Council, Hillingdon London Borough Council and Hounslow London Borough Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Bromley London Borough Council, Bexley London Borough Council, Greenwich London Borough Council and Lewisham London Borough Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Lambeth London Borough Council and Southwark London Borough Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Enfield London Borough Council, Hackney London Borough Council, Haringey London Borough Council, Newham London Borough Council, Tower Hamlets London Borough Council and Waltham Forest London Borough Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Camden London Borough Council, Westminster City Council, City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council, Islington London Borough Council and Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
| Croydon London Borough Council, Kingston-upon-Thames Royal Borough Council, Merton London Borough Council, Richmond-upon-Thames London Borough Council, Sutton London Borough Council and Wandsworth Borough Council | 1 member (appointed by, or on behalf of, this group of Constituent Authorities) |
Map and coverage
The committee area stretches from:
- Oxfordshire and Swindon to London and Essex
- Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire to Surrey and Hampshire
This is an area particularly vulnerable to the risks of flooding from multiple sources such as:
- rivers
- tidal Thames
- surface water
- reservoirs
- ground water
Vacancies
We have 1 vacancy for a general independent member. This role starts on 1 July 2025.
Being a member of the committee is a fantastic opportunity to:
- get involved with issues that really matter in your area
- gain new skills, experience and build your network
- make a real difference to people’s lives, livelihoods and to the environment we all live in
You can find out more about these roles and apply on our recruitment website.
Members
The members of the Thames RFCC are:
| Member | Organisation | Role |
| Paula Hewitt | Defra appointed | Chair |
| Alastair Atkinson | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Prof Mary Ethna Black | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Konstantinos Chalkias | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Paul Leonard | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Ruth Letourneur | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Phiala Mehring | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Rob Rees | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member, conservation |
| Nevil Muncaster | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member, Thames Water |
| Dr Nicolas Small | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Steve Thompsett | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Mike Woolgar | Environment Agency appointee | Independent member |
| Cllr Ewan Larcombe | Wokingham, West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest, Hampshire, Reading and Windsor, Maidenhead Councils and West Sussex Lead Local Flood Authority | |
| Cllr Graham McAndrew | Hertfordshire Lead Local Flood Authority | |
| Cllr Syed Ghani | London councils (north-east partnership) | |
| Cllr Mike Hakata | London councils (north partnership) | |
| Cllr Marisa Heath | Surrey County Council | |
| Cllr Sharon Holder | London councils (central-north partnership) | |
| Cllr Jilly Jordan | Buckinghamshire, Slough, Luton and Central Bedfordshire Councils | |
| Cllr Averil Lekau | London councils (south-east partnership) | |
| Cllr Julia Neden-Watts | London councils (south-west partnership) | |
| Cllr Paul Osborn | London councils (west partnership) | |
| Cllr Rezina Chowdhury | London councils (central-south partnership) | |
| Cllr Andrew Sheldon | Essex and Thurrock Councils | |
| Cllr Pete Sudbury | Oxfordshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire Councils |
Members of the public and press are welcome to attend as observers.
2024 to 2026 meeting dates
| December sub committee | Wednesday 18 December 2024 |
| January main committee | Thursday 16 January 2025 |
| March sub committee | Wednesday 19 March 2025 |
| April main committee | Tuesday 29 April 2025 |
| June sub committee | Tuesday 10 June 2025 |
| July main committee | Tuesday 08 July 2025 |
| September sub committee | Tuesday 16 September 2025 |
| October main committee | Thursday 26 October 2025 |
| December sub committee | Tuesday 16 December 2025 |
| January main committee | Thursday 22 January 2026 |
For copies of other meeting papers or minutes of meetings email ThamesRFCC@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Reports
We have the following reports:
- Thames RFCC periodic report: 2011 to 2017 (PDF, 2.04MB, 20 pages)
- River Thames catchment: sharing learning from Natural Flood Management (PDF, 1.52MB, 23 pages)
If you would like a copy of a report please email ThamesRFCC@environment-agency.gov.uk.