The Solent Forum

The Solent Forum was established in December 1992, in order to develop a greater understanding among the authorities and agencies involved in planning and management in the Solent area, and to assist and influence them in carrying out their functions. The Forum has been set up to consider and provide advice on strategic issues which have implications for a wide area. The Forum does not have any executive powers and its members have no voting rights. As far as possible the Forum we operate on an ‘equal partners’ basis.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

The Solent Forum provides:

Strategic advice on matters that affect the Solent.
Information on changes in the operating environment that will affect your work.
Awareness and understanding of other stakeholders' roles, responsibilities and aspirations and of the Solent's resources and associated management issues.
Networking opportunities of all kinds and at all levels.

It does this by:

Providing a known vehicle to work cross-sectorally
Exploring changes in legislation and policy and how they will affect us.
Describing the actual changes that are occurring in the coastal zone.
Bringing together stakeholders, such as policy makers with those who are affected.

View the Forum's Business Plan for greater detail on its work and our infographic for a quick summary.

WHAT CAN IT DO FOR YOU?

As a long established and recognised coastal partnership with a neutral status the Solent Forum is well placed to provide a platform for cross-sectoral communication and to facilitate partnership working. Our stakeholder database contains more than 350 people with an interest in the Solent made up of a wide variety of organisations and as such can reach the stakeholders who you are wishing to engage.

We can:

communicate to a wide range of stakeholders
raise awareness of coastal issues in a neutral environment
provide a co-ordination mechanism for research
play a role in conflict resolution among stakeholders due to our unbiased approach
provide a unique focal point for information exchange across sectors
bring together data and research to aid policy making and management decisions
pilot demonstration projects
raise local and regional needs with national policy makers
influence the implementation of legislation and policy in the local area.

Policy for Solent Forum's Communication and Consultations

The Solent Forum will regularly communicate coastal and marine news and information via all its channels covering the full range of sectors nationally, regionally, and locally. Communications will be to Solent Forum Members (direct emails) or to the Solent Forum's distribution lists (Solent News, Monthly News alerts, Facebook, Twitter). The Solent Forum will remain neutral in its views on any one sector and will disseminate news and information of a factual nature.The Solent Forum will always strive to facilitate discussions between sectors to help integrate sustainable coastal management and improve effectiveness for all members.

The Solent Forum will help promote key consultations (mostly national) to its members' by disseminating information and encouraging members to respond directly. It is not appropriate that the Solent Forum acts as a collective of its members' views. In some cases, the Solent Forum will give a view on consultations, when it is based on improving processes to bring about more effective sustainable marine and coastal management for the whole range of Forum members, and the response is consistent with its aims and objectives. The views expressed will not promote one sector above another and will be transparent to all members.

GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

The area covered by the Forum is the whole of the Solent, including the Hampshire coast and north coast of the Isle of Wight, Southampton Water and the three main harbours - Portsmouth, Langstone and Chichester. The eastern limit is a line between the eastern tip of the Isle of Wight and Selsey Bill. No inland boundary is defined, as it will vary according to the nature and importance of the issue under consideration and some matters will have more far reaching inland effects than others.

MEETINGS

The Solent Forum meets twice a year and at such other times as deemed necessary. Meetings are held at Southampton, Portsmouth and Cowes in rotation.

MEMBERSHIP

Forum members are professional bodies such as local government, harbour authorities, industry, user groups, trade associations and NGO's. The Forum is not open to individuals, local residents associations or issue specific lobby groups. For more information on membership see our joining page.