This case study from the Heywood Fellowship explores how national strategy can better account for place, focusing on industrial transformation in Port Talbot. 

Interviewees highlighted fragmented micro-strategies, top-down bias, and weak coordination across government levels as barriers to long-term change. While crisis response showed some alignment, sustained transformation remains elusive. The study shows place-based strategy can localise national goals, reveal trade-offs, and embed change in local identity and context.