Madam,

Whilst there are many good reasons why we should vote to remain in the European Union on Thursday, people need to be aware of the stakes for us in Wales and in Ceredigion specifically.

Most of Wales is designated as a ‘less developed region’ of the EU, in line with much of Portugal, Southern Italy, Greece and most of Eastern Europe, by virtue of our low overall income. As such, in line with those regions, we are given European funding to help us develop.

As a result, Wales benefits by a net total of around £245m a year from EU membership. In Ceredigion this has resulted in funding for some 80 different community and infrastructure projects in the county over the past eight years as well as the creation of 1,595 jobs and 620 enterprises, with 2,365 local people being helped into work or further learning. This is on top of the £44m received by Ceredigion farmers each year as part of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and the tens of millions of pounds of funding received by the county’s universities.

The benefits of all this to our local economy, culture and environment have been immense and undeniable. If we did not receive such European funding, Ceredigion would be a very different place, with far greater unemployment or depopulation and significantly fewer community facilities. It defies belief that, in the event of us leaving the EU, a Westminster government would simply agree to maintain this level of funding, especially given the competing pressures in England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent warning of a major economic crash in the event of a vote to leave.

If you care about Ceredigion and the survival of our communities in the future, a strong vote to remain in Europe is essential.

Yours etc

Alun Williams

County councillor - Aberystwyth Bronglais ward.