COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTON/NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Friday, December 18, 2020
QUESTION NO. 10
QUESTION: Councillor Joanna Tuffy
To ask for a report on any funding given by the Local Enterprise Office to businesses in the Lucan Electoral Area who were impacted by the Covid 19 restrictions
REPLY:
LEO South Dublin has been and continues to work with the business owners of Micro and Small enterprises who have been impacted by COVID 19 in Lucan Electoral area and right across the county.
The key direct supports include Re-start Grant/ Restart Plus Grants, Business Continuity Vouchers and Trading Online Vouchers, LEO Stimulus Grant and Micro Enterprise Assistance Support. Full details of the level of supports that have been provided / paid (approved to pay) to date which total in excess of €32m are broken down over individual schemes on the attached SPC Presentation of 01 December last. <<insert link>>
Mentoring and Training Supports (virtual) have and continue to be offered plus support is available for all businesses applying for Microfinance Loan facilities.
LEO are currently offering free Customs Workshops and one to one Brexit Mentoring (again Virtual) to any businesses impacted by Brexit.
LEO is currently supporting a Shop Local campaign with The Echo Newspaper on their regular hardcopy and on-line editions. The campaign, which has been running since mid-October will continue until 17th December. It features local businesses (retail and on-line) in different villages each week (Lucan was featured on 26 November 2020) inviting all business to sign up for free listing on our South Dublin ‘Local Directory’. In excess of 200 businesses have signed up to the campaign to date and are listed on a on-line directory. See details on SPC presentation of 01 December for further details and https://www.echo.ie/advertising/shop-local-directory-form
The Council Budget continue to provide for the Business Support Funds (BSF) scheme which include four funds targeted to address key issues in industrial areas in the County namely
- Supporting physical improvement works;
- Aimed at encouraging occupiers to improve the investment potential of industrial estates / units;
- Particular emphasis on those industrial estates experiencing high levels of obsolescence, dereliction, vacancy and abandonment;
- Helping existing small scale businesses and start-up businesses utilising previously vacant units.
The BSF also includes Microenterprise/Start-up Support which encourages new micro enterprise owners who upgrade an existing vacant premises to avail of a graduated “rates holiday” for up to two years.