Solent Freeport’s annual general meeting next month is a chance for members of the public to meet the organisation’s board of directors.

The AGM is being held online on Wednesday 5 November from 4pm to 5pm.

Members of the public who would like to attend should email info@solentfreeport.com to receive joining instructions and pose questions in advance of the meeting.

Made up of 16 members, the board includes representatives of local authorities and partner organisations as well as independent non-executive directors.

The freeport is designed to be a catalyst for economic development and inward investment in  the wider Solent region.

Brian Johnson, Chair of Solent Freeport, said: “I encourage all those with an interest in the Solent’s economy to attend our AGM to find out more about how we fit into the future prosperity for the region. It is hugely important that we take account of the views of the communities that are part of the Freeport.

“Our ethos is one of complete honesty, openness and transparency as we seek not only to inform but involve stakeholders in our work.

“I have been Chair of the Solent Freeport since its inception five years ago and have been proud to play a part in driving growth in our region.

“Our team works tirelessly to progress our stated mission of sustainable progress within Solent Freeport to the benefit of the whole of our region.

.“These are exciting times for the region as the Freeport evolves, with projects such as the proposed Southampton Gateway expansion and Dunsbury Park development driving the race to economic prosperity.”

The meeting will review the annual report and receive a finance update, as well as updates on the progress of the Tax Sites.

It will also hear about progress in each of the priority areas of work during the previous year and there will be a chance to ask questions of the directors.

This year Solent Freeport has invested £4.8m from its Seed Capital fund – matched by a £2.23m loan from Portsmouth Port owners Portsmouth City Council – into Portico Shipping, the international cargo operator.

Work is currently underway to create more quayside space to grow business operations, as well as providing environmental improvements and creating job opportunities.

The freeport is this month staging a series of five business roadshows to gauge what support the region’s businesses require in order to help formulate future grant scheme delivery.

There will also be sector focus groups in November dedicated to key sectors – space, maritime, digital and creative, life sciences, clean energy and defence – with the aim to reinvest future business rates in the most effective way.

The Government’s new Industrial Strategy, which was introduced earlier this year, has now confirmed the freeport’s path for the next decades as we work with partners to take the region forward.

The Freeports Programme, alongside the UK’s Investment Zones, and the existing Enterprise zones will be managed under this new joint banner of Industrial Strategy Zones, reflecting the pivotal role they will play in driving investment in high-growth sectors and the bolstered support they will receive to do so.

Solent Freeport will sit within the new Mayoral Combined County Authority – across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton – when it is fully established next year and a Mayor elected in May.

The 12 freeports across the UK have attracted £6.4 billion of investment to date, of which 89% is foreign direct investment. Regarding site delivery progress, £157.93 million has been disbursed on 39 seed capital projects.

In the Solent’s case, land earmarked for tax sites includes the Navigator Quarter near Southampton Airport, a development site in Southampton’s Western Docks, the Dunsbury Park business campus just north of Portsmouth, and locations along Southampton Water and the Fawley Waterside.

The main customs sites are Solent Gateway on Southampton Water and Portsmouth International Port.