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Drogheda Businesses Describe Commercial Rates Budget 2012 as a ‘lost opportunity’
Jan 11, 2012
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Drogheda Chamber of Commerce had issued a call to the Town Clerk Joan Martin, and the County Manager Conn Murray to bring about a reduction in Commercial Rates of 15% for the year ahead. However when the elected members of Drogheda Borough Council and local Drogheda Borough Council officials including the Town Clerk Joan Martin and the County Manager Conn Murray, met on Monday 19th December 2011 to vote on the Draft Budget for 2012 that call went substantially unanswered.
When the draft budget was presented to the elected members, the County Manager in his report put forward a reduction of just 1.5%. Of the 12 elected members of the Drogheda Borough Council, the following voted in FOR that proposed budget: Kevin Callan, Michael O’Dowd, Anthony Donohoe, Richie Culhane, Frank Maher, Paul Bell, and Linda Bell Woods. AGAINST: were Cllrs Imelda Munster, Dom Wilton, Matthew Coogan, Frank Gallagher and Cllr. Ken O'Heiligh.
The Drogheda Chamber of Commerce President Padraic Kierans commenting on the rate adjustment voted through stated: ‘The business community and Chamber members were bitterly disappointed with the debate and the outcome of the Rates meeting. It was more disappointing given that representatives of the Drogheda Chamber of Commerce had met with many of the Councillors in advance of the budget meeting to illustrate the real need and justifiable expectation of Drogheda Businesses seeking a 15% rate reduction. However none of those Councillors who had attended at the pre-budget meetings called by the Drogheda Chamber of Commerce it appears has opposed the Budget on the grounds that the reduction in the rate was insufficient and further the Councillors had not even challenged or queried the detail of the budget strategy with the County Manager.
As the budget for the Borough Council is a critical issue for the entire town’s people and enterprise sector of the town the Chamber feels that every elected representative has a duty to scrutinise in detail the strategy and rationale of the financial decisions which will impact on the area they are elected to represent. With the exception of a point of law raised with regard to the recently imposed household charge there appears to have been little detailed analysis or scrutiny of the budget before the councillors deemed themselves satisfied with its content. People will draw their own conclusions on whether this performance from the elected members qualifies as meaningful local representation.’ Kierans said.
Chamber President Padraic Kierans who led meetings with the local councillors, the Town Clerk and the County Manager well in advance of the budget proposals expressed his disbelief that given all the circumstances known to all parties and the extensive and on-going interaction promoted by the Chamber of Commerce a decrease was passed of just -1.5%. Kierans said ‘This meagre 1.5% is unbelievable after all the effort we went to and the apparent response we were given when making our very valid case to these local representatives. Businesses in Drogheda are in the trenches battling to survive, we as businesses have lost 40 to 50% of Sales Turnover, we have been forced to lose employees, we have made cuts, we have reduced overheads, and the elected and non-elected officials have failed Drogheda with this minimal reduction on commercial rates. This will not assist us to sustain jobs and retain businesses locally’. He said, ‘From the Drogheda Borough Council’s perspective this is a lost opportunity to make a statement of intent to assist those who are maintaining, creating and in some cases attempting to expand businesses and employment locally.’ He continued ‘The local elected councillors have few real areas of influence and the greatest of these is the control the budget. In spite of extensive information and lobbying by local businesses through the Drogheda Chamber the local councillors have failed to exercise that influence to the extent where they could have made a significant contribution to the future of the town through its commerce and shown would be investors that the local authorities have a real appreciation of the term ‘Open for Business’ which is repeated in so much of what they say but not reflected in what they actually did on the occasion of the Budget Vote for 2012’
Business Owners and Managers in Drogheda and District will once again face serious challenges in the early months ahead in 2012 however there was good news delivered from the DBC Budget by the County Manager Conn Murray.
The Drogheda Chamber of Commerce in through it’s ‘Town of Drogheda Regeneration Policy’ (TODR) and the work of its Chamber Council Members involved in the ‘Local Heroes Project’, has been advocating ways Drogheda Inc., can step up to attract visitors and shoppers away from its competitors. One part of the detailed strategy was the introduction of some ‘Free Parking’ for consumers in the town centre area.
From 1st of January 2012 for a ‘trial period’, the DBC has decided to abolish the €3 All Day Parking Charge in the ‘All Day Car Parks’ on the perimeter of the town. Drogheda Chamber welcomes this decision but is disappointed that the County Manager did not take it to the next stage and provide as suggested a ‘First ½ Hour Free On-Street Parking’ as outlined in the TODR policy document, as this would have delivered a real and financial impact on the trading figures of local retailers. Like any business with a budget to manage and a trade to capture the Drogheda Borough Council should look at its competition which is already adopting much more extensive concessions and therefore ahead of their rivals in Drogheda before this latest initiative is even begun.
Commenting on the improved budget for Tourism and the Louth/Meath co-operative initiative to deliver a new Boyne Valley Tourism Officer as a shared resource between Louth and Meath County Councils the Chamber President Padraic Kierans said ‘we are delighted to see this spirit of co-operation between the two local authorities ‘Drogheda is quite unique and depends on integration and co-operation between Meath and Louth Local Authorities to succeed. The appointment of the new Officer and the creation of this new position to focus on Drogheda as a Gateway to the Boyne Valley will be a key to the success of our Tourism strategy. I hope that the officer will be based in Drogheda at the Tourism Office itself, Drogheda is the largest and most significant population density in the Boyne Valley corridor, and is the beginning of the Boyne Valley experience and the person appointed to this important role needs to be at the heart of the engine room in this case the Tholsel’. This represents an increased investment in Tourism by DBC of some €58k for 2012, and we would like to see a combined approach with the business sectors particularly the tourism sectors locally to increase that figure and really showcase Drogheda as a destination of choice for Tourists nationally and internationally.’
Kierans went on to state ‘ The County Manager Conn Murray recognised in his Manager’s Report the work done by so many in the ‘Local Heroes’ RTE initiative in Drogheda which he [County Manager] acknowledged brought a much needed boost to the town. The County Manager also acknowledged the importance of the continuance of the work already begun by the volunteers and made provision for financial support of the project in 2012 by way of increasing the Economic Development and Promotion Budget to circa €82k which represents an increase of €27k. On behalf of the Local Heroes and the Business Community as a whole I would like to express our appreciation for this increase. This represents tangible recognition for the work of the Local Heroes Regeneration Team, and as such is a good first step. We need to be sure to secure further funds to maintain the project in the long term. To that end I will be seeking to secure a meeting with the Mayor Kevin Callan, County Manager Conn Murray and Town Clerk Joan Martin to ascertain when this funding can be released and establish the future commitment to the initiatives represented under the description of ‘Local Heroes’.
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