The Solent Forum
Working in partnership for the future
The Solent Forum was established in December 1992, in order to develop a greater understanding among the authorities, agencies, businesses and the third party sector involved in the planning and management of the Solent, and to assist them in carrying out their functions and missions. It considers and provides 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. It operates on an ‘equal partners’ basis.
The Solent Forum provides:
It does this by:
View the Forum's Business Plan for greater detail on its work and our infographic for a quick summary.
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 600 organisations and professoinal bodies with an interest in the Solent.
We can:
The Solent Forum regularly communicates coastal and marine news and information via its channels. Communications are to Solent Forum Members (direct emails) or to the Solent Forum's distribution lists (Solent News, Monthly News alerts, Facebook, X). It reatins its neutrality and will disseminate news and information of a factual nature.It will always strive to facilitate discussions between sectors to help integrate sustainable coastal management and improve effectiveness for all members.
The Solent Forum promotes key consultations 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 brings about more effective sustainable marine and coastal management for the whole Solent; the response will be consistent with its aims and objectives.
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 of 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.
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.
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.
Guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office has made it clear that partnerships of public authorities are subject to FOI via the information held by each individual public authority, rather than collectively by the partnership. Individual public authorities who are members of the Solent Forum, will be subject to the extent that they hold information which is relevant to their part in the Forum. All FOI requests must be made in writing.
