Cllr Harry Barrett has made yet another call on An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to act on the continuing list of business closures being announced in Castlebar.
Barrett made his call in the wake of the shock closure on Monday of Hynes’s Shoes, a long established, family run, business in Castlebar. Barrett said the town has reached a “crisis point”.
“The Hynes family have been in business in Castlebar for over 80 years and have made a massive contribution to the business, sporting, and social life of Castlebar. The closure of this family-run business is a cruel blow to the family and to the town,” he said.
He is calling for action to be taken now. “I am calling yet again on an Taoiseach, to act now for the town. His plan, up till now, seems to be that a recovery will happen soon and that all will be well. This plan isn't working, because the only recovery taking place is in Dublin. An Taoiseach’s plan is that we should all become entrepreneurs and set up business, but what he fails to realise is that there is a massive credit crisis in Castlebar at the moment. The banks aren't lending. When you combine this with wage cuts, extra charges, lack of government spending, and the massive rise in online shopping, it’s not hard to work out that money isn't circulating in Castlebar, and in this situation, local businesses haven't the confidence to borrow money and if they did they wouldn't get it.”
Reacting to the closure of Hynes’s Shoe, Sinn Féin councillor Thérèse Ruane said: “Austerity is undermining the domestic economy and making the crisis in the retail sector worse by the day. This is such a blow to Castlebar. It's really worrying that yet another business is closing its doors. Hynes’s is an institution in this town and has served this town so well over the years. This follows the closure of Homebase, The Upper Crust, threat to Elverys, and lots of other small businesses closing.”
She went on to say: “The greatest threat to jobs is the austerity policy. People just don't have the disposable income for everyday things that they need. It's undermining our domestic economy, causing hardship, costing jobs, and leading to economic stagnation. How can people support the retail sector when they have no disposable income? The job losses in Hynes’ is yet another blow to the domestic economy, my heart goes out to the staff who have been there for years and given a great service and commitment.”
