Council will continue to engage with businesses over rates deferral

Small and medium-sized businesses in Fingal having difficulties with their rate payments should contact their rates collector to discuss the matter and agree an appropriate arrangement. Ratepayers that can continue to pay their outstanding rates should continue to do so in the normal way.

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Eoghan O’Brien, said the opportunity to defer would be a help to small businesses trying to survive the current crisis. “This is very good news for the butchers, the publicans, the hairdressers, the café-owners and other small business-owners who are battling to survive the current crisis. We are fortunate in Fingal to have ratepayers who are in a position to maintain their payments, but I am very aware that there are a lot of smaller businesses that are struggling and need all the help they can get.

“People also need to support those small businesses that have managed to stay open and still provide a safe environment for their customers. They are an important part of the community and we need to keep them going,” said the Mayor.

The deferral of some rate payments will have implications for the Council in terms of cash flow and Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said that she will be trying to minimise the impact on the delivery of critical services

“Local Authorities are, along with the HSE and An Garda Siochána, one of country’s three Principal Response Agencies and we are involved in the co-ordinated response to the current emergency while we also continue to provide critical services in areas such as housing and homelessness. We are already dealing with small businesses who have approached us seeking a deferral and we will continue to deal with affected rate-payers on a case by case basis while at the same time maintaining as many of our 380 services as possible,” said Ms Farrelly.