The Coastal Partnerships Working Group

In May 2006, the Coastal Partnerships Working Group (CPWG) was established to encourage the collaboration between Coastal Partnership Officers. The CPWG aims to establish new communication mechanisms, reporting to the annual Coastal Partnerships Forum and linking Coastal Partnership Officers to the wider field, offering increased influence and encouraging stronger representation of coastal partnerships’ work. This is markedly important in the current development of marine planning and in providing input to the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Strategies.

The Coastal Partnerships Working Group aims to provide a long-term initiative, providing a mechanism for engaging stakeholders in the delivery of priorities such as marine planning, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and ICZM Strategies. The trust that Coastal Partnerships have built up with local communities has developed a more approachable aspect than other authorities and agencies. This provides a strong backbone when providing a communications conduit between local communities and such authorities and agencies, allowing Coastal Partnerships to also work on public awareness raising, and providing the public with a ‘one-stop shop’ for information and advice. The CPWG also aims to improve networking tools to encourage more regular exchange of information, whilst developing a mechanism to collaborate views and represent partnerships to inform and influence legislation and policy development.

Coastal Partnerships Working Group: Annual Forum 2010 Report