Your say / Politics
Rees: ‘I am proud Bristol voted to remain’
I am proud Bristol voted to remain. It says a lot about where we are as a city and our culture. It showed confidence in the strength of our society and our economy, the foundations of our position as global city. The challenge presented by Leave will not stop us from pursing our aspirations for the city – to be a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable city in which no-one is left behind.
It’s important we understand the meaning of the Brexit vote. It was a call for change. The attractiveness of the Brexit call was a judgment on how we have done economic development and managed our public services as a country. Too many people have been left out of the so-called economic recovery. And they have suffered from a failure to protect and invest in our public services.
We must learn from these lessons as we go forward as we build our future. The plans we put in place must put tackling inequality, creating opportunity and decent jobs and protecting and investing in our public services at the heart of what we do. We need to ensure we don’t only get economic growth, we need the right kind of economic development. A month ago the people of Bristol gave me this mandate. And it remains my duty to fulfil it.
We are a global city of mixed heritage. We are a welcoming city. And we are a city of sanctuary. I pledge we will continue to be so.
Bristol has always been an outward looking city and we benefit enormously from our overseas relationships. We must not forget that a large number of our international links exist because of Bristol’s diverse communities from Somalia to Poland, with 91 different languages spoken in our city. As the dust settles over the coming days and weeks, my focus will be on how we continue to maintain and build links across Europe and with other countries around the globe.
Our reputation as one of Europe’s leading innovative, creative and sustainable cities makes Bristol a valuable asset for partners around the world. I will ensure we secure and develop our international reputation as a city that is open for business and can attract global investment and opportunities for our citizens and businesses.
We will keep Bristol moving forward together.
Marvin Rees is mayor of Bristol
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