‘Calm heads’ are needed amid election uncertainty

This article originally appeared in Place Midlands on 20 April 2026

The biggest risk in May’s local elections isn’t the result, it’s the reaction, writes founder and managing director at Marca Strategy, Will Savage.

Elections are moments of high drama in the UK political calendar. The implications for Downing Street will be as closely watched as the High Street.

In the 24 hours following local counts, a breathless national media will attempt to decipher a narrative under a mountain of Westminster spin. For those delivering regeneration and investment, the danger is taking those headlines at face value.

Calm heads and sensible strategies need to prevail.

In the West Midlands change is in the air. The potential for a more fragmented, multi-party, political landscape means outcomes are harder than ever to predict. All five major parties – along with a slate of independents – could wield local power. That uncertainty can quickly feed into investor confidence.

Most developers and investors I speak to don’t really mind who is in charge, as long as someone is. A party and leader with the authority, through a clear majority or stable coalition, to set a course and deliver.

Birmingham is likely to be the epicentre but places like Coventry, Walsall, Solihull, and Sandwell could also experience seismic political change.

For a private sector with billions tied up in local authority decisions, that inevitably feels like risk. But local elections rarely produce the kind of immediate, structural shift media headlines suggest.

Planning policy takes time to develop and major regeneration is embedded in long-term frameworks – Birmingham East Mayoral Development Corporation is a clear example of powers sitting outside day-to-day politics.

Decision making is shaped as much by officer advice and established policy as it is by political rhetoric. Councillors do not have access to an army of think tanks, special advisors, and pollsters to inform every commitment.

New councillors need space to understand how a local authority works and how to influence outcomes. That is a natural brake on the pace of change, but it’s not to say elections are risk-free.

Changes to leadership, cabinet portfolios or planning committee membership can alter how established policy is interpreted. Issues like heritage, affordable housing provision, or Green Belt can move up or down the priority list.

Politics will take time to settle and in a fragmented system, decision making can become slower, requiring more negotiation and compromise.

The mistake is to overreact. Trying to force decisions too early, or pivot strategy based on short-term political signals, can cost a great deal more in time, money, and opportunity.

Instead, be patient, stay close to councillors and officers, build relationships, and take time to understand evolving priorities. Change will present opportunity, as well as challenge.

It is often underappreciated that across the political spectrum there is broad alignment on outcomes. All parties want to deliver new homes, support businesses, attract investment, and create more enjoyable, clean, and safe places.  It is the means which differentiates – the route, the pace, and the appetite for change.

Across the built environment sector we should not be buffeted by events, but instead help shape local delivery.

We have the levers to transform neighbourhoods and drive change across communities. We need to work together with the public sector to find the right approach, present it well, and implement solutions at the right time. Moments of change are when you double down, not step back.

In the West Midlands we have powerful fundamentals. A young and diverse population, strong connectivity, top universities, growing businesses, and a pro-growth attitude.

Elections won’t change this picture, but how the market chooses to respond will.

The UK local elections will take place on Thursday, 7 May, 2026. A total of 5,014 council seats will be elected across 136 English local authorities, including 32 metropolitan boroughs, 18 unitary authorities, six county councils, and 48 district councils, as well as six directly elected mayors in England.