This Act, which received the Royal Assent on 29 April, focuses primarily on combined authorities and elected mayors.
Coventry is already part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Richard Parker is the current elected mayor who was elected in 2024. The City has already benefitted including funding for new social rented homes in Coventry City Centre South (as well as for the Coventry Retail Market) and playing a lead role on the Coventry-Warwick Investment Zone that aims to take forward battery technology and green advanced manufacturing on a 241 hectare site. It has also started work on producing a spatial development strategy for the West Midlands that will identify key locations for new housing and employment sites. Coventry Society responded to the initial consultation in December 2025.
So does the Act add anything extra? The answer is a definite ‘yes’! Firstly, it requires that mayoral combined authorities must consider health improvements and tackling health inequalities when making policies. This is vital for Coventry because of the huge health gradient between rich and poor neighbourhoods. Secondly, it enables mayors to intervene in planning applications of strategic importance. This is known as a call-in power. Additionally it enables the mayor to direct councils on decision making. It is aimed at dealing with inappropriate developments as well as speeding up the planning application process for schemes that are supported. Thirdly it reinforces the brownfield first approach for development ie reusing previously developed land before considering green belt land. This is especially relevant for Coventry because of the green belt surrounding the city.
Furthermore, the Act introduces a new community right to buy policy which will enable local groups to have the first right of refusal for local community assets such as shops, community facilities and sporting assets if they are put up for sale. This is relevant in Coventry – for example as part of community-led pride in place regeneration schemes in Hillfields, Tile Hill and Willenhall. But we will have to wait until the government publishes detailed proposals to assess its relevance.
In addition, there are a series of ancillary measures that have little to do with mayoral combined authorities or community right to buy. But they are particularly relevant for some issues which Coventry Society has long campaigned on. They include:
- New powers for councils to take enforcement action against dangerous pavement parking
- New licensing powers for rental e-bikes allowing councils to set detailed requirements on parking and safety
- Additional national standards for taxi drivers – for instance, allowing the City Council to suspend licences issued by other local authorities
- Tackling the proliferation of gambling shops on shopping centres and parades – the first step of which is a gambling impact assessment that could lead to councils stopping new gambling shops opening.