A Kerry councillor is calling for B&Bs to be eligible for the Government’s Restart grant for small businesses.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Breandán Fitzgerald, who runs a B&B in Dingle, says Bed & Breakfasts and other small businesses including tour guides and tradespeople that don’t pay rates, can’t apply for the new funding scheme to help with reopening costs.
Bed & Breakfast Ireland is an organisation that represents 760 members across the country; Kerry has the greatest number of members at over 100.
They say two thirds of members haven’t been able to avail of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment because they’re aged 66 or over.
Speaking on TalkAbout, Cllr Fitzgerald called for changes to this, and believes a grant of up to €3,000 should be made available to B&Bs to cover expenses incurred with reopening safely.
