Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC), the statutory body responsible for managing Falmouth Harbour, has revealed extensive plans to enhance stakeholder engagement.
The newly launched stakeholder engagement plan features a comprehensive programme of meetings, reports and partnership opportunities. It is devised to keep everyone, from commercial and leisure users of Falmouth harbour, to the local community, informed of activity and encourages a two-way flow of communication.
It also takes into account new guidelines issued by the Department of Transport which raise the bar in terms of openness and accountability.
The plan was presented and discussed at the FHC annual meeting this week which was open to members of the public and included presentations about the role and plans of the commissioners followed by a detailed question and answer session.
Chair of the board, Carrie Gilmore, said: “As a Trust Port we operate for the benefit of our broad range of stakeholders so quality consultation underpins our strategic decisions.
“The engagement plan demonstrates our commitment to involving the local community in the future of the harbour and the economic, environmental and social activities that it supports.”
The FHC Consultative Committee which represents viewpoints from a wide range of stakeholders plays a key role in delivering the engagement plan. Ian Munday, chair of the Consultative Committee, explained: “The Consultative Committee is constituted in order to ensure the voice of harbour users and other stakeholders is heard by the harbour board. The stakeholder engagement plan consolidates our objectives and promises to further enhance our culture for quality communication.”
The Annual Meeting also included updates on FHC’s two business arms – Falmouth Haven and Falmouth Pilots Service. Through cost-savings and the generation of additional revenue, over the last year these business arms have contributed to a successful turnaround in FHC’s year-on-year performance. There was also a presentation on FHC’s marine safety management system.
