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around corners.
Background
Background
In 2021, London was hit by extreme rainfall which led to widespread flooding. Thames Water appointed Cavendish to help with the rapid mobilisation of stakeholder engagement and media relations in the immediate aftermath of the incidents.
Cavendish’s crisis management support continued throughout two further review phases that examined the flooding and Thames Water’s response to the events.
Strategy
Strategy
In the first days following the floods, Cavendish provided strategic counsel and developed robust, evidence-led key messaging around both what had happened and how Thames Water was responding to its customers. These messages were vital for meetings with key stakeholders, which included several elected MPs, and residents’ forums as well as for handling media enquiries at national, local and trade level.
Over the longer-term, beyond the immediate events, Cavendish supported on the set-up and delivery of the Thames Water Review. As the organisation’s own internal assessment of the actions it took before, during and after the storms, this review identified what it could have done better and also how it could do better in future in the face of more flooding given the likelihood of further extreme weather events caused by climate change.
Alongside this, Cavendish evolved the messaging to convey the progress being made with the Thames Water Review. This ensured the messages carried the most up-to-date information – providing continued support for Thames Water’s ongoing stakeholder communications and media relations.
Cavendish also delivered substantial editorial input for the report produced on completion of this first review.
Following its own examination of events, Thames Water commissioned the London Flood Review. Led by a third-party expert group, this was an independent, impartial assessment to help Thames Water understand why the flooding was so severe and whether its sewer network may have worsened the impact of the extreme weather.
Cavendish supported the London Flood Review with the set-up of a dedicated website, managed external stakeholder and resident enquiries and handled associated media relations. This included core media outputs and activity with media releases, media requests and op ed / thought leadership content during the key stages of the review, and on delivery of its reports for each of these.
Cavendish’s work provided Thames Water with effective and timely stakeholder engagement and media relations throughout the critical period immediately following the flooding events and for the duration of its review process.
This support enabled Thames Water to move from a more reactive position with considerable stakeholder negativity, to one that was more proactive and positive in terms of what Thames Water had done and what it will do in future.
