A new report by the Carnegie Trust shows that the Brexit referendum’s Leave voters were more likely to live in towns that have been neglected by policy makers.

The report’s authors, Heather McCauley and Policy Scotland’s Duncan Maclennan, argue the state of neglect of Britain’s towns at policy level has led to discontent and contributed to the vote to leave the EU. A spatial analysis shows Leave voters were more likely to live in Britain’s towns, rather than city areas, and significant leave majorities were located in less prosperous areas of the North of England and Wales and the pressured towns of southern and eastern England.

Although it may be too soon to really know what the precise impact of Brexit on towns will be, Brexit is more likely to exacerbate than resolve the difficulties of most UK towns and therefore the report argues that there needs to be action now to ensure that present neglect ends, and ensure a new place for towns within economic policy.