BUSINESS

Businesses need support as Clonmel town centre starts to reopen, says mayor

BOROUGH COUNCIL TO ASSIST BUSINESSES

Clonmel Borough District is looking to support businesses in the town as trading in and around Clonmel Town centre reopens again.

Mayor Pat English has urged shoppers to support local outlets and has promised support from the local authority

He said – “While the Government has presented a roadmap for reopening the country and supports for enterprises affected as part of the impact for Covid-19 (such as the Restart Grant and many other supports available from Tipperary Local Enterprise Office), we know that our town centre and its businesses need particular support as they begin to reopen.”

He said the Borough District is looking to assist businesses in very practical ways.

These include

repurposing the www.clonmel.ie website to become a portal/directory of the town’s businesses and how they are trading (e.g. online, click & collect, premises open, etc);

use of public footpaths to allow for orderly queuing at the entrance to premises so as not to impact on the movement of pedestrians;

the Town Centre Enhancement and Painting Grant Scheme through which businesses can get a grant to assist with the costs of external painting and enhancements (e.g. hanging baskets, etc) to their premises;

licensing the use of outdoor public areas by businesses to provide extra space to allow them to operate as per social distancing rules (e.g. placing tables and chairs on streets and footpaths).

“The Borough District is committed, in collaboration with the Town Centre Forum, Chamber and other local stakeholders, in working to make it easy for shoppers to return to spending locally and supporting our local businesses in the town centre”, said the Mayor, who continued “no one could have foreseen what has happened over the past few months as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which has been a huge financial and emotional shock on our business community”.

“Whilst staff of the Borough District will be liaising with businesses as the town centre reopens, I am encouraging businesses to contact the Borough District. We will engage and assist with their challenges as best we can”, stated Cllr. English.