Cork city businesses hoping progression and improvement will be high on council agenda

Meetings of elected members of Cork City Council will resume at Cork City Hall on September 9 and businesses are hoping that the progression and improvement of the city centre will be the hot topic on the agendas of newly-elected councillors.

CEO of Cork Chamber Conor Healy congratulated all those elected to Cork city and county councils and said the chamber looks forward to engaging proactively with councillors over the coming period.

“Both councils play a key role in the future development of our region and for creating the best possible environment for business and our communities,” he said.

“Supporting the delivery of public transport, housing, and a focus on sustainability are all essential to realising attractive and thriving towns and a vibrant city centre.”

Aaron Mansworth, president of Cork Business Association (CBA), said he hopes to work closely with councillors to address pressing issues affecting the city and business community.

Support policies

“We need support policies to advance our business community, drive economic growth, and enhance the overall quality of life in Cork,” he said.

In particular, Mr Mansworth said, the CBA asks that they address the day-to-day challenges our city faces, including:

The cost of doing business, maintaining public safety and cleanliness;

• Help enhance Cork’s appeal as a top tourist destination by supporting cultural events, the Cork Events Centre, and improved amenities;

• Understand the business landscape in Ireland and the challenges of operating a business in our city;

• Someone who will advocate for policies that ease these burdens;

• Promote business growth by implementing strategies to attract and retain a skilled workforce and promote initiatives that support employers and employee wellbeing;

• Help drive foreign direct investment and create a liveable city by addressing the current building stock vacancy and supporting essential infrastructure improvements, technological advancements, and sustainable urban development.

Michael O’Donovan, president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) and owner of the Castle Inn in Cork city centre, said: “From a publicans’ viewpoint, local councillors have a big role to play in helping local businesses.

Appealing

“We would really be appealing to council to at least hold our rates as is to give businesses some sort of clarity going forward for the next 12 months because as we’ve seen, hospitality and other sectors are really under pressure and our city centre here is very dependent on retail and hospitality.

“To keep the city centre alive, we need to see some form of clarity for the next couple of years, so we would really be appealing that rates are held in their current form.

“Also to give people help with the cost of living, the local property tax for the residential to give people a bit of a feeling that they have a bit of money to spend, and it might even boost our local economy, so we would be asking them to look at holding our rates and a reduction in local property tax to help people with their spending to boost the economy in the months ahead.”

Mr O’Donovan highlighted the importance of a strong garda presence to ensure the city centre is safe and inviting for people to visit.

“We need to see more gardaí on the streets,” he said. “Another thing I would say is we need to see more late-night buses to give people that certainty of getting home and even more taxis late at night to give people that certainty that if they are out, they know they can get home safe after a night out.”

Heart of the city

Eddie Mullins, managing director of Fitzgerald Menswear on Patrick St, called on councillors to recognise the city centre as “the heart of the city” which has “a very unique offering”.

“We have a very effective cleansing department, the maintenance there is very good, so I think the council needs to be commended for that because the streets are very clean, but we also need regular updates,” he said.

Mr Mullins suggested that a city centre co-ordinator be appointed to look at issues with “a new set of eyes”.

“There needs to be pressure put on all the stakeholders — the council needs to maintain the streets and do what they do and we as retailers need to maintain our buildings and all come together with the help of councillors,” he said.

“We have found the city council very supportive over the last few years, but we need more. There needs to be more interaction and more dialogue with the traders that remain.

“There’s some lovely independent traders, but the problem is that if an independent trader closes down, they don’t reopen and they are replaced by a multinational.

“I would call on councillors to look at their indigenous small businesses and not lump them all in with a big conglomerate that rolls into town and that can well afford to pay high rates and the cost of doing business here. Look at the small restaurants, look at the small shops and ask: ‘Are we enriched by ye?’ because I think we are. There are lovely shops.”

Heartening 

Mr Mullins said it is particularly heartening to see the Marina Market as an incubator for small businesses whereby business owners get a feel for business with a stall at the market and then realise they are good at it and move into the city.

“We’re delighted to see those people move up into the city and raise the level of what they do, so I think places like the Marina Market are very important to incubate small businesses and then to come onto the streets here, and I think a bit more flexibility from landlords on rents and maybe a rates break [would help] to get more people in. The occupancy rates are quite high, but they could be better.”

Mike Ryan, Cork chairman of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, and owner of The Cornstore, said that if the Vat rate is not reduced, the “uniqueness” of the Irish food industry will be lost.

“The reality of it is that this is making businesses not viable,” he said.

“One of the only things that we can actually control is to reduce the Vat rate back to 9%.

“There’s no real other item that can tackled directly, everything else is external factors, that’s why we have a focus on the Vat. The general public can’t absorb any more price increases, and businesses can’t either.

“The only thing that businesses can do to curb their expenditure is to close their doors or reduce their opening hours.

“There’s been a huge impact on the sector already, and it’s up to the Government on what they want the sector to look like in the future.”

Tourism

Mr Ryan said that as a country, we pride ourselves on our tourism sector, but highlighted that tourists are not coming to Cork for the weather, they’re coming for “the experience, the activities, and the food”.

“The biggest problem is that a lot of the businesses that are under pressure are family-run, small indigenous places, and when these small businesses close, what’s going to fill that space?

“Where will that uniqueness and individuality go? We’ll be like every other European city.

“Less and less people are getting into the sector because it’s not viable to run a business any more, and it’s only the big companies that survive.

“If we want to have a uniqueness about our sector, we need to have a proper conversation about reducing the Vat rate.”

Attesting to the state of the sector, and how local business owners are feeling on a personal level, Mr Ryan said: “I have never seen morale as low as it is now.

“There’s only so many times that you can try to keep your doors open, there’s a fatigue associated with it, mentally and physically, you just can’t keep going.

“That’s why a lot of places are getting out, they’ve had enough.

“There are easier ways to make a living, and that’s becoming more evident.”

Footfall

Newly-elected Labour Party councillor for Cork City South East, Peter Horgan, said he intends to support businesses by helping to encourage footfall into the city centre.

“What I intend to do is assist with footfall into the city centre and to areas around it,” he said. “How do we do that? By pushing incentives on accessing the city — whether through free bus trials, enhanced parking fees at Christmas or just a general narrative saying: ‘Come to the city, come to Douglas, come to Blackrock’. Being an advocate for supporting local in all its guises.”

Sinn Féin councillor for Cork City North West Michelle Gould, who was also recently elected to represent her constituency, said: “I think there are lots of things needed for the city centre in general.

“We were talking recently at Cork City Council about the public toilets, which I think are really needed.

“We could have more pedestrian areas and more seating in the city centre because when you go through the city centre, you’re just through it — there’s no area really where you can sit down and take in the city centre or the cultural areas, and that would help businesses with footfall.”

She said that in situations where vulture funds are buying up buildings, jobs are being lost in the area in place of “just more buildings”.

“More gardaí on the street would be huge as well, because peoples’ safety is so important.”

Speaking about the closure of many much-loved shops and restaurants in Cork, she said she and her husband, who shared their first date at Tung Sing in the city centre, were sad to see the restaurant close.

She said they went to the restaurant on their last day of trading, describing Tung Sing as “synonymous with Patrick St”.

“There are a lot of businesses gone, and it’s just such a pity,” she said.

“We went from in 2005 being a European City of Culture, and look at us now — we have to fight for this and fight for that. There must be something done to improve and progress the city even more.”

Opportunity

Echoing the comments of restaurant owner Mr Ryan, Labour Party councillor for Cork City South West Laura Harmon, who is also contesting the Dáil election in Cork South-Central, said the upcoming budget in October represents an opportunity for the reinstatement of the 9% Vat rate.

“Budget 2025 represents an opportunity for the reinstatement of the 9% Vat rate on food-related hospitality to support businesses in Cork,” she said.

“If businesses are to thrive in Cork, we must have an environment that is attractive to workers, and that means more housing availability, affordable and accessible childcare, more gardaí on our streets, and reliable public transport.

“We must be ambitious for what we can deliver for Cork and I am calling for a light rail system in Cork, more connectivity to other European cities for Cork Airport, and more funding for further and higher education in Cork.

“All of this will benefit businesses and workers.”