The South West
Glyn was delighted when, as an MEP for Manchester, he was asked to return to his roots and run in the European elections for the South West. Born and raised in Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean and having worked at the British Aircraft Corporation in Bristol, building Concorde, Glyn has a personal knowledge of this diverse region. The South West constituency covers approximately 5 million people and includes: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and Gibraltar. Urban and rural, costal and inland the South West is a varied and beautiful area with farming and fishing industries complemented by a large tourist sector.
The role that the EU currently plays in the South West is significant. Its importance can be realised by the fact that 80-90% of the UK’s legislation on the environment emanates from the EU – a policy area which has a huge impact on the region in light of its key industries. Furthermore, Cornwall is currently in receipt of Objective One funding which provides an invaluable source of investment into long-needed regeneration projects. Objective Two funds are also allocated to parts of Bristol, Plymouth and some costal areas in Devon. Of course the EU touches each and every one of our lives, no matter where we live in the UK, in a multitude of ways: not merely through its economic benefits as a free market but due to advances it has made socially – with the Charter of Fundamental Rights for example – and politically – creating the Rapid Reaction Force which can intervene in peacekeeping matters and thus further enhancing Europe’s voice on the international stage.
1)Bristol & Gloucestershire 2) Cornwall
3) Devon 4) Dorset 5) Somerset 6) Wiltshire
Digital map data (c) Crown Copyright Ordnance Survey (c) Business Geographics
Links:
- South West Regional Assembly: http://www.southwest-ra.gov.uk/
- South West Brussels Offiice: http://www.southwestukbrusselsoffice.com/
- Government Office for the South West: http://www.gosw.gov.uk/
