Sir Philip Dilley’s resignation shows how hard it is to be a public sector chair

It's getting more difficult to find and retain good people for prominent public posts, as the Environment Agency chair's departure demonstrates

When the former chair of the Environment Agency, Sir Philip Dilley, decided to delay returning from his holiday in Barbados, despite severe flooding in the UK, it proved to be a public relations disaster.

He may well have been acting like a leader by providing backroom support for his chief executive and the board, but Dilley failed in his duty as a public figurehead to navigate the choppy and often unpredictable waters of chairing in today's public services.