Monaghan County Council will write to the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, requesting that he put in place financial supports to assist small businesses who were impacted by Storm Éowyn. The motion was put forward by Cllr Sinead Flynn at this week's sitting of Monaghan County Council. According to Cllr Flynn, these supports will be "vital" for those small businesses who faced significant challenges and were unable to open due to no power and no water. Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Flynn said it has been a difficult number of years for these small businesses and farmers with rising costs and tight margins and will no doubt be difficult for many to absorb the cost of repairs, the clean up and the temporary closures. She added that "damage has been great, and the government must act now."
Cllr Flynn told Northern Sound; "With the impact of the storm still being felt by many, it is vital that government commence a relief scheme to support small businesses who have suffered as a result. These supports will be vital for those small businesses who faced significant challenges and were unable to open due to no power and no water. Some small business owners recall their despair upon contacting their local welfare office only to be told that no supports were available to them. We have farmers who lost poultry houses and cattle sheds, horticulture poly tunnels blew away, elderly famers carrying buckets of water to their livestock from a water well situated fields away and this is only a brief synopsis of challenges faced by many over the previous weeks. It has been a difficult number of years for these small businesses and farmers with rising costs and tight margins and will no doubt be difficult for many to absorb the cost of repairs, the clean up and the temporary closures."
