Election candidate Tim Jackson
Election candidate Tim Jackson has called for action to be taken in light of Ballybofey’s record-high commercial vacancy rate last year, a problem he says “needs to be addressed with concrete solutions.”
“Ballybofey will continue to struggle if something significant is not done. Anyone walking around the town will see for themselves how many premises are empty, and as shops close it means even fewer people are attracted to the town, so it has a knock on effect on other businesses too.”
“Having spoken with many business owners, I firmly believe rates payments are one of the biggest obstacles to success for new Donegal ventures, and this is something they could be given a temporary amnesty from if Donegal County Council really want to help revive the local economy and secure jobs.”
“The reality is that a currently strong sterling pound, with a weak Euro, has been keeping many Donegal businesses afloat, but our local economy will need to be built on much firmer economic foundations than that if it is to withstand eventual currency fluctuations.”
Whilst Ballybofey had the highest rate of vacancies at 32.3%, Letterkenny is in ninth place at 21.6%.
The GeoView Report compiled by An Post and Ordinance Survey Ireland also showed the overall vacancy rate in Donegal at 14.2%, whilst the national average was 12.6%.
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