A NUMBER of local business owners met with Finance Minister Conor Murphy during his visit to Enniskillen last week.

During the round table discussion last Wednesday, August 18, which was attended by businessman Pat Blake, estate agent Nick Finlay, Noelle McAloon from Enniskillen BID, and Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive of Retail NI, issues including business support, rates and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on town centres were raised with Mr. Murphy.

Mr. Murphy said the meeting gave him an opportunity to hear first-hand what challenges Fermanagh businesses are facing.

Talking to The Impartial reporter, he said: “Meeting with local business owners is a great way for me to get a sense of what is happening on the ground. We had a really constructive conversation about the issues they are facing and the steps that could be taken to address them.

“It is very clear to me the issue of rates is of the utmost importance to business owners, both here and elsewhere, and I agree we need to ensure there is a fair redistribution of rates, which is why Reval 2023 is so important.

“We have to look at all the interventions to regenerate town centres, and rates is a component part of that.”

In terms of business support, the Minister explained that the additional money Stormont receives from the UK Treasury will fall by £2 billion.

“Last year, we got £3.3 billion additional money from Treasury to try and get across [to support] a whole range [of demands], it wasn’t just for business support. That was, you know, for the health service itself.

“This year, we’ve been given £1.3 billion; the amount of money we have available to give to people is dramatically reduced, and we still have to continue to support the health service.”

He hopes that the changes to rules around isolating because of Covid-19, and the very successful Covid vaccination programme, will improve the way businesses operate and reduce forced closures and impacting on their trade.

“We are more limited – much more limited this year – in terms of finances and the direct support we can give to businesses than we could last year, but I think there are more things we can do to try and assist them, and make sure that they’re not obliged to close down.

“[By providing such assistance] we could keep as many people in work as we can, of course.

“Vaccines and getting a double vaccine is a key to all of this, and we’d encourage people, obviously, to continue to take up the vaccine,” added Minister Murphy.

In terms of regeneration and attracting new business to places such as Enniskillen, the Finance Minister said ways to incentivise people to start up new businesses are being looked at.

“We had a discussion with traders about how we don’t want to incentivise dereliction. You have rates relief from a place being completely empty. You don’t have to pay rates – then is there an incentive for somebody to bring it back into use again?

“There were some useful discussions and pointers, and we take all of those back on the session, but there are incentives for people to start up new businesses.

“We have small business rate relief which continues on anyway. And [we’re] probably more generous than in England, Scotland or Wales, but also we have the ability for people to take over property after 12 months with a new business and get 50 per cent rate relief for a year.”

The Minister also visited Elite Electronics where he toured the premises and met with staff.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “It was great to get the opportunity to meet with Managing Director Jonathan Balfour and some of his team to get a sense of the fantastic work they are doing there, and how the financial assistance from the Department has helped the company over the past 18 months.

“It’s such an impressive set-up and reassuring to see how this local business is in a position to look towards a bright future on a global scale thanks, in part, to the financial support we have given them.”