JUST over 18 months ago the electorate went to the polls to decide whether or not we remain a member of the European Union.

In a column I wrote on the day of the Referendum I implored residents of Cardiff South and Penarth to vote to remain in the EU, citing its role as a peace making project and the risks of leaving.

For me, the advantages of being a member of the EU far outweigh the negatives.

Despite residents in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan voting in relatively large numbers to remain, the rest of the country felt differently. As a result, the UK will be leaving.

Many have suffered from buyer’s remorse in the wake of the referendum result.

The morning news the day after the vote was littered with vox pops of voters who said they hadn’t expected the UK to actually vote to leave and were merely registering a protest vote, or hadn’t believed that the risks were real and were surprised to wake to a plunging pound and sinking stock market.

It soon became apparent to everyone that the £350million a week that was promised for the NHS was not going to materialise.

It was only in December last year that EU leaders agreed that sufficient progress had been made in phase 1 of the Brexit negotiations with the EU to allow the talks to move onto phase two.

Reaching this agreement has taken longer than should have been necessary, owing to a lack of clarity and realism on the part of the UK Government.

The process has been a complete and utter shambles, creating uncertainty for the business community which in turn may have led to delays in making important investment decisions.

It has also meant uncertainty for EU nationals living in the UK and British citizens living abroad.

Our focus now has to be ensuring that we still have full and unfettered access to the Single Market and Customs Union.

Some argue that staying in the single market does not respect the result of the referendum.

Yet, it was Leave campaigners themselves who promised that we could leave the EU without economic damage because we’d stay in the Single Market.

Norway, is not an EU member and outside of the EU Customs but has full and unfettered access to the Single Market through its membership of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEA).

Wales has attracted investment from hundreds of international companies on the basis of access to the single market. Failure to maintain full access, free of tariffs to trade post Brexit could make sustaining and securing investment more difficult.

In response to the uncertainty the Labour led Welsh Government last week announced £50million of funding to help prepare Wales for Brexit.

The EU Transition Fund will be developed in partnership with Welsh businesses, public services and other key organisations to provide support as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

It will provide a combination of financial support and loan funding for businesses.

It is also designed to help employers retain and continue to attract EU nationals, who make a crucial contribution to Wales. The fund will underline Wales’ welcome to people from other countries who have made Wales their home.

I would be interested in hearing your views on the UK’s membership of the single market. You can write to me at Vaughan Gething AM, Room C201, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA or by emailing vaughan.gething@assembly.wales.