WITH the EU referendum following hard on the heels of the Assembly election, somethings are in danger of being lost.

In amongst all the noise and fury, people want to know the facts.

Although we are often told of the benefits to Wales as a whole, such as the 191,332 jobs that are linked to our trade with the EU or the huge net gain that Wales makes from the EU budget, it is not often made clear the local impact of the EU on top of this.

It’s important for people to understand what EU-funded projects and programmes achieve locally for all of us. The Welsh European Funding Office publishes statistics on the results of these in local authorities.

In the Vale of Glamorgan, 445 businesses have been created, 1,170 businesses have been assisted, 1,630 jobs have been created and 3,690 people have been helped into work, 3,270 people have gone into further learning and 12,155 qualifications have been gained.

The European Union has been helping people in Barry on the most important level, by backing our local economy to succeed.

The European Union is committed to making sure every region of the EU succeeds.

In Barry, European funding has been vital to a number of projects.

At the most basic level EU funding has helped pay for flood defences, through the Coldbrook Catchment Flood Alleviation Scheme, which aims to avoid a repeat of the devastation caused by flooding in 2007.

Another example is the Welsh Assembly-run Jobs Growth Wales project, which has opened up 15,000 job opportunities for young people across Wales.

At a time when the Government seems relentlessly focused on austerity, it shows how the EU remains focused on helping people in our communities have a decent shot at building a career, and more importantly remains committed to our local economy.

We can build on these successes going forward as a confident country if we choose to remain a member of the EU.

I hope this letter has helped people to understand the importance of the EU to our communities and that people will bear in mind what the EU has achieved around here when they cast their vote on June 23.

Derek Vaughan

MEP