Recommendation 5

We recommend that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) develops a comprehensive framework for engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, particularly coastal communities and underrepresented voices, early-on in marine decision-making and outline the responsible organisation for leading the engagement across areas of marine policy. This framework should identify a range of stakeholder engagement activities appropriate to the scale and impact of different decisions (e.g. roundtables, workshops, participatory mapping or advisory councils). The framework should also ensure that adequate resources and expertise are allocated to facilitate effective and inclusive stakeholder engagement, which will also help raise public awareness and understanding. Additionally, the Government should be transparent about decision-making processes and acknowledge the implications of these decisions for stakeholders. DEFRA should publish this framework by January