Coventry leader sets priorities after local elections, including gigafactory upgrade

A project involving a gigafactory at Coventry Airport is “appealingly close”, the city council leader has said. Cllr George Duggins made the comments in a message to residents last week, May 16.

Plans for a gigafactory on the site have been in the works for seven years. In March, the project was expanded to involve other businesses in the battery industry, but with a West Midlands battery factory remaining as the anchor tenant.

The scheme, now called ‘Greenpower Park’, is a ‘game changer’, claimed Cllr Duggins. He added: “After so much work by the council, it is exciting to see this project so close to fruition.”

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It is one of the council’s priorities for the next two years, according to Cllr Duggins. His message in a newsletter to residents outlined what the council will focus on, with citywide elections until 2026 – when every council seat will be up for grabs.

The need for “economic prosperity” is why the council tried to get the gigafactory and now other battery industries at Coventry Airport, he said. He said the council was “committed to supporting those most in need, while helping to support to give everyone opportunities to improve their lives and their families”.

“Economic growth and prosperity is at the heart of this, as well-paid employment has been shown to have clear benefits for people’s housing and well-being – both physical and mental,” he added. Cllr Duggins also highlighted the £2.5 billion investment and 6,000 “highly skilled” jobs the scheme is said to bring.

Other commitments include cracking down on fly tipping with tougher penalties and more enforcement. More affordable housing, installing average speed cameras, repairing roads and changing the garbage service are also priorities.

The council says it will continue to support the city’s job shop and events such as the Godiva Festival and Motofest, and will plant more trees and “re-wild” areas of the city. But he said meeting all the priorities would be “tough” amid the “financial pressures, rising demand and chronic national underfunding” facing the council.

He said he was “unapologetic about being ambitious about delivering what we can for the city”. He added that the council would continue to fight for “fairer funding”.

Three-quarters of the council’s budget goes to social care and housing and homelessness, he said, and the funding it receives is £89 per head below the England average. His message comes three months after councilors agreed huge £8.4m cuts to services to tackle a significant gap in the council’s budget.

City residents will have to pay £40 a year from next month for brown-lid bin collections after the move. Council tax has also risen by a maximum of 5% for the second year running, council tax support has been cut and almost three quarters of the city’s street lights will be switched off overnight.

However, despite the savings, the council’s February budget still showed a £14m shortfall for next year. It remains to be seen whether next year the council will make more “tough” choices about services to close the gap.

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