B&B operators must be equipped with support measures to aid them in recovery, a Clare TD has maintained.
Although the Government have rolled out the Business Restart Grant which is providing help to many Clare small businesses. Among the stipulations for eligibility is that the business owners must be commercial rate payers, which as Deputy Cathal Crowe (FF) highlighted may not include many B&B owners in the county.
“Though they may not be rate payers, B&B owners in rural parts of Clare are vital to our economy,” he stated. It’s businesses like these that a large number of tourists seek out when they want to immerse themselves in that true Irish experience that so many international visitors yearn for”.
Close to 1000 applications for Business Restart Grants have been received by Clare County Council, 675 of which have been processed with 278 drafts.
Crowe added, “I want to see similar measures rolled out for the like of B&Bs, or for the criteria to be re-examined so that B&B owners might be able to avail of it. Right now, it’s all about supporting local and I think it would be prudent to ensure that we keep as many businesses afloat as possible while we weather this storm”.
