Sligo working together is key
THE role of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) has been very important to the business sector right across the country since their establishment, and now more than ever they are being called on for advice and support.
Like its counterparts across the country, the Sligo LEO has been busy in recent weeks and months dealing with queries and questions from the business community.
A number of important interventions have been put in place, as Head of Enterprise at the Sligo Local Enterprise Office, John Reilly, explained to The Sligo Champion.
“We have a range of particular interventions in place for businesses,” Mr Reilly said.
“One of the key ones that we have in place as a direct result of the pandemic is the business continuity voucher. Under that voucher, up to €2500 in consultancy is available to businesses to assist them to get ready for the new realities that’s about to face us. Typically, we are getting applications for assistance for taking a strategic look at the business and how to change their business model going forward, it might be financial issues, it might be technical issues around social distancing and right across the spectrum those vouchers are in operation and are available to help with that. The closing date was last Friday so it remains to be seen if they will be extended.
“A second measure that is in place, we had it anyway but the conditions are now much reduced and much more favourable, is trading online vouchers. The initial iteration of those called for funding on a 50-50 basis, in other words if you were doing e-commerce and it must be an e-commerce website or other online initiative, there has to be selling and buying involved, a brochure type website does not quality for these and never has. If one was doing those sort of e-commerce businesses online, the intervention rate has now been increased to 90pc, in other words if you’re spending €2000 we’ll put in €1800 and you put in €200.”
While the future prospects for businesses vary depending on the sector they are in, Mr Reilly is adamant that a collective effort is required to ensure the economy, both locally and nationally, bounces back.
“One thing is for sure, we really do all have to work to get the economy back moving again because we cannot keep going like this.”