Council group get to work on recovery plan

KERRY County Council has set up a dedicated team to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Kerry’s economy.

The economic recovery in Kerry will require a sustained collaborative effort over a prolonged period with a combination of national government initiatives and locally created and co-ordinated responses key to its success. Locally, the effort is being led by KCC in conjunction with agencies at local and regional level including the IDA; Enterprise Ireland,; the various local development Companies; Udarás na Gaeltachta; Fáilte Ireland; the higher-education sector; the wider business community and the various tourism groupings.

Business promotional body Kerry Scitech and the Chamber Alliances will also play a major role.

“The coordination of this effort will require a great deal of work to ensure agreed messages emanate from the county and appropriate and timely plans are in place and are realistic and actionable when the time is right,” said a council spokesperson.

The group’s initial focus will include an examination of the full economic impact of COVID-19 on the county.

This will involve scenario planning to deal with the various potential levels of disruption to economic activity over a prolonged period

Another key focus is responding to the immediate needs of the business community, including the range of supports that are currently in place and will become available – including financial, training, mentoring, and other associated structural supports.

The group will also work to develop a number of initiatives to support the wider economic recovery, including short- and long-term marketing strategies to position the county to the fore in the post-COVID-19 landscape.

Specific attention will be given to all business sectors – such as tourism, retail and construction – with an individual focus on their needs and the needs of specific regions that may be more dependent on them.