At least five businesses have closed their doors in the Borris area in the last number of months.
Borris Councillor Willie Quinn says a number of these closures are down to the rates they were being told to pay.
He’ll be asking the county council today to try and negotiate a special rate for businesses like rural pubs that might only be open three or four nights a week.
Speaking to KCLR News, Councillor Quinn says it’s vital if these businesses are to survive. He said “rural pubs & businesses they’re not open on a full time basis at the moment, certainly the pub end of it now with the drink driving laws and the whole lot, there’s a lot of them have been in business for three or four generations. They have no option now but to close down because the rates have gone maybe five, six times what they were.”
He added “certainly in my own area in South Carlow there’s now a rural bus service, they can bring people from A to B.”
