WE are in the EU at present. So up until now what has Europe ever done for us? Here are a few examples: Reforming the financial sector: Following the financial crisis EU action has addressed flaws in Europe’s banking system to ensure that in future, ordinary people will not suffer because of bankers’ mistakes: reduction in bankers' bonuses, stress tests applied to banks, and deposit guarantee schemes to protect ordinary bank customers.

Boosting jobs and growth: European funding has helped to transform some of our poorest regions, and helped to support UK research and innovation, creating the hi-tech jobs of the future. It isn’t only big business that benefits from Britain’s EU membership, small and medium-sized firms also enjoy access to a bigger market, EU funding and better supply chains.

Sixty-four per cent of businesses in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire want to stay in the EU, while 24 per cent want to leave (Local Business Survey 2015). Seventy-one per cent of rural business owners want Britain to stay in the EU, while 29 per cent want to leave (from Knight Frank, rural sentiment survey, 2015).

Opportunities for young people: The EU’s Erasmus scheme allows young people to undertake work, study and training abroad. Young people can also apply for paid traineeships with the EU institutions, and use an EU-wide online job search facility.

Decent employment rights: British workers have benefited hugely from EU laws that ensure at least four weeks' paid holiday a year and extended maternity and paternity leave. Under EU law the well-being of workers is protected by high health and safety standards in the workplace.

Improving our environment and tackling climate change: Thanks to EU law the UK now has substantially cleaner air, rivers and beaches.

However, sadly, as well as the number of good things that the EU has done for Britain, there are many myths being circulated about it.

Here are a few examples of the myths: A Daily Mail article accused the EU of trying to “ban our beaches”, adding that “dozens of British beaches will be off-limits for swimmers”. This related to a change in EU bathing water law (agreed by the UK government), which means that all local authorities now have to inform the public about the purity of the sea-water in their area, so that people can make an informed choice about where to swim.

“Most of our laws come from Brussels” is a myth that is often quoted, when in fact, the House of Commons library estimates that just 13.2 per cent of British laws have anything to do with Brussels.

We need to vote to stay in.

JOANNA SHACKELL, Devizes Constituency Labour in for Britain rep, Whistley Road Potterne