AS we head to the polls on June 23 our heads will be full of all the sound bites, headlines and spin of the national debate. On both sides of the coin much of this debate has gone stale with fear mongering and manipulation. It's no wonder most of us are fed to the back teeth of the Referendum.

The decision we make is not just about the internal power struggle of two political parties. Local issues matter just as much as sovereignty or the free movement of people. Here in Trafford, we must consider our own issues in context with the debate.

Air pollution affects every single Trafford resident. Every study into local air quality shows that we are in breach of our own council's NO2 limits and in many cases, in breach of the EUs higher limit.

A Trafford school was recently found to be in the top 10 most air polluted primary schools in England, one of only a handful outside London. The prospect of Fracking in both Davyhulme and Altrincham hinges on the scrutiny of a complacent Trafford Council and we have a government that is deeply, ideologically invested in further fossil fuel extraction rather than continued green investment.

To truly tackle this issue we need to address all its causes and in some cases that is impossible to do on our own. When car manufacturers cheat the system by producing cars that emit vastly increased levels of C02 after inspection, we have to punish those manufacturers and ensure that standards are met and maintained. We cannot hope to challenge these multinational corporations on our own. We can only confront their callousness in concert with other countries. The collective free market clout of the EU is the only way we can ensure that vehicles are made fit for British streets.

Our own government has shown that it doesn't care about renewable energy or meeting our climate change emissions targets. The Prime Minister has pledged to get rid of all the 'green crap' that came out of the coalition and his government's actions have spokeN louder than his words. Whether it's the shutting down of investment in green industries or the prioritising of increasingly extreme oil and gas extraction, this government is failing on the environment.

Accountability is essential if we are to change this and while there may not be a General Election in the offing just yet, our government is accountable to the European Union. The EU imposes emissions targets for all member states and environmentally friendly regulations for all workplaces. Communities can complain to the European Court of Human Rights about issues like Fracking if local democracy is over ruled in favour of the Government or big business, as was recently the case here in Trafford.

The EU is far from perfect. It is often highly un-democratic and opaque. So is Westminster. Our current government came to power with just 24% of the eligible vote. We have an unelected legislating chamber in the House of Lords. We can only change these things if we engage with the issues. Similarly, we can only reform Europe from within and moving forward we are better positioned to hold the government of the day to account if we have the backing of our European neighbours.

I will be voting to Remain for many reasons, but not least because I think it is best decision for my community. I hope other Trafford residents look to the issues affecting us locally as the debate rages on.

Shaun Ennis

Davyhulme