Brexit revealed the major social and economic cleavages but not how to respond to them. The Brexit vote was a visible expression of the diverse experiences and economic trajectories of places in Britain. It provided a wake-up call to a policy system which has relied far too heavily on national and centrally-generated policy processes and choices.

But what are the prospects and options for place-based policymaking to challenge the established system? Our report suggests the need for radical rethinking if place-based policy approaches are going to deliver anything other than a timid and anaemic alternative.