Supporting Economic Restart essential role for Council

€1.1 m euros of support approved to date for Business Community

Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council , Cllr. Tom O’Neill says that “supporting our Towns & Villages business retail and business communities is a core focus for the County Council over the coming months in order to support economic recovery for the County”.

Since the initial lock down in March, the County Council’s Local Enterprise Office & Economic Development Team have approved and delivered over €1.1million euros worth of services and supports for companies in order to support the road to recovery. This investment in supports for the business community includes the provision of free training to over 682 business people, €225,000 worth of direct financial assistance to companies for investment in expansion,  €217,000 in MFI Loan approvals, 172 Continuity Vouchers approved, 68 Specialist Advisory Sessions with Brexit Advisors and 70 Trading Online Vouchers.

Speaking about the road ahead in supporting the business community, the Cathaoirleach said “as a local authority we need to support our businesses who provide thousands of jobs in our County”. Outlining the road ahead in terms of supports, the Cathaoirleach outlined that Carlow County Council will:

1. Continue to operate a Local Enterprise Office & Economic Development Programme which is designed for pre-start , start and established companies
2. In partnership with industry and key stakeholders, launch and co-ordinate the delivery of a Covid-19 Response Plan with a series of 5 actions to support our business community which compliment the Local , Regional and National supports already in place.
3. Promote Local Shopping & Retail Experiences in partnership with County Carlow Chamber & KCLR
4. Prepare funding applications for the Covid-19 Accelerated Scheme which is designed to support town and village centres
5. To continue to provide parking solutions which are designed to provide safe, affordable and managed solutions for consumers which enable consumer turnover to support retail and ensure the public realm is maintained and enhanced.

In particular , the Cathaoirleach stated, “I’d encourage companies to apply for the Restart Grant which can provide between €2000-€10,000 euros to eligible companies towards the cost of restarting”. The Cathaoirleach acknowledged that over 380 companies had applied to date for the scheme with an average grant approved of €4,000 per company meaning that over €1.5 m will be paid to companies in the coming weeks to support the cost of reopening”. Commenting on Restart O’Neill stated that “Restart in Carlow is run by the Finance Section and the Local Enterprise Office who are there to assist you with your application”.

Concluding , Cllr. O’Neill said “I welcome the supports given to date by the Council and as Cathaoirleach I will play my role in ensuring that we as Council will provide leadership in supporting our business community in these difficult times” , the Cathaoirleach concluded by saying “we know that in these difficult times having access to good advice and support is critically important and our Local Enterprise Office is there to provide you with free confidential advice and services and I’d encourage people to engage with this service”

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