4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Improvement plan described as ‘stake through the heart' of major Tipperary town
Councillors were briefed on plans to introduce a Business Improvement District (BID) for Clonmel, in an attempt to revitalise the town.
Under the BID plans, businesses would pay a levy which would be used to fund an independent company, which would aim to improve services beyond what is provided by the local authority, as well as going towards initiatives such as the Christmas lights and the St Patrick's Day parade.
Supporters say the scheme, already credited with boosting trade in Drogheda since 2019, could revitalise Clonmel's struggling town centre. But critics warn it risks adding new costs to businesses without addressing deeper structural problems.
Not everyone was on board with the idea, with one local representative saying the plan represented 'not just a duplication or triplication but a quadruplication of resources'.
Independent councillor Niall Dennehy said that people needed to 'smell the coffee' and that the plans would further drive a stake through the heart of struggling businesses in Clonmel.
"This is a B.I.D to drive a further stake through the heart of an already impotent Municipal and Borough District system – subordinate sub-committees of this plenary council with no powers and no money,' Cllr Dennehy said.
"I see it as an admission by the proponents, of the powerlessness of Chamber and of Team Clonmel and town champions,' he added.
The objectives of the BID are already under the responsibility of Tipperary County Council, Cllr Dennehy said, hitting out about the proposed salary that would be paid to the CEO of the Clonmel BID company.
'Creating another €100,000 salaried quango CEO position with more paid ancillary staff at a further cost of €400,000 in added Commercial Rate Taxes on businesses in Clonmel is just not acceptable,' the Clonmel-based councillor said.
The BID plans would be put to a plebiscite to all commercial rates payers in the town, which would decide if the plans are implemented or not.
According to Cllr Dennehy however, the only plebiscite that should be put before people in Clonmel is the restoration of Clonmel Borough Council, which is 'the only remedy for Clonmel'.
The Clonmel BID scheme is backed by County Tipperary Chamber and the Clonmel Town Team, and received broad support from councillors from across county Tipperary.
