Investment, politics and the future of the West Midlands

Following May’s local elections, Marca Strategy brought together investors, developers, and leading advisors in Coventry for a roundtable examining the political and investment landscape across the city and the region.

The conversation was shaped by two contrasting realities: continued instability locally (with several council’s across the region now under No Overall Control) and at Westminster, and enduring confidence in the long-term prospects of the region. Bridging that gap — between political noise and investable certainty — is the central challenge facing both the public and private sector.

We were joined by Rt Hon Sir Marcus Jones and Jim O'Boyle, whose perspectives from across the political spectrum grounded the discussion in the realities facing local decision-makers and their communities.

Sir Marcus is the former Conservative Member of Parliament for Nuneaton, with Jim the former Labour cabinet member for regeneration at Coventry City Council.

Investors, developers and leading advisors came together in Coventry

Three themes defined the morning.

Delivery over rhetoric. The view from around the table was unambiguous: people will judge their politicians (locally and nationally) by what they can see and experience within the next twelve months.

Town centre improvements, cleaner streets, roads that work. The appetite for grand strategies or long-term frameworks is limited when the basics remain a problem.

Public sector confidence. The market wants to invest in the West Midlands, but appetite alone isn't enough. There was broad agreement that the public sector has a meaningful role to play in de-risking delivery — not by substituting for private capital, but by creating the conditions in which it can move with confidence.

Belief in the region's fundamentals. Despite uncertainty, the long-term case for Coventry, Warwickshire, and the West Midlands remains strong. The assets are real: connectivity, talent, land, ambition. What the region needs now is less politics and more certainty.

Roundtables like this are important because decisions about investment and placemaking don't happen in isolation. They happen in rooms where the right people can speak and think together.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Coventry.