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Rees: ‘Bristol is better off as member of EU’
I was elected as Mayor for Bristol seven weeks ago. In that time, I have been struck by the myriad ways in which Bristol benefits from our membership of the European Union. It has further strengthened my resolve that Britain, and Bristol, is better off as a member of the European Union.
Just last week I reaffirmed my manifesto commitment to campaigning for a European Capital of Culture bid for Bristol. Last year, we were European Green Capital. We are an outward looking, innovative and truly international city.
In 2014, over 300,000 tourists visited Bristol, spending £64.9 million which fed into our Bristol economy. Being members of the EU means that tourists can easily travel to our city, funnelling millions into our local economy and helping our local businesses and attractions thrive.
is needed now More than ever
Our world class universities benefit from access to leading research and from millions of pounds worth of funding. Bristol University and UWE have received a combined £129 million in the last 3 years. That funding has helped enable more than 800 placements for their students across Europe.
I was born in Bristol, I grew up in Bristol, and now I’m raising my own three young children here. I have been proud to always call this place my home. I am proud because we are a multicultural, forward-thinking, and positive city. We are not a city that can be tricked into becoming insular, turning our back on the world around us and closing our eyes on the many problems that transcend national boundaries.
We are a city that leads the way on fixing the world’s issues. We struggle with some of the worst air pollution outside London, with illegally low air quality and we have relied upon EU regulations to start implementing measures to tackle this. We are not the kind of city that sits back and expects others to look after us. We lead the way, and by 2050 we aim to be a carbon neutral city. Our EU membership supports us in doing this; air pollution knows no boundaries and for all the work that Britain can do to improve our air quality, if our neighbouring countries do not then how can we expect our air quality to improve?
I am proud to be committed to remaining in the European Union, and maintaining our place in the world. I hope you are too.
Marvin Rees is mayor of Bristol
Read more: It’s time to decide about Europe
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