West Cork Enterprise Board's priority is local flexible support for small business

 “The West Cork Enterprise Board notes the plans of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation to replace the County and City Enterprise Boards with a new network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs).  This involves the dissolution of the Board and the creation of a new Micro Enterprise and Small Business Unit within Enterprise Ireland which will work with the local authorities to form a new network of Local Enterprise Offices. Enterprise Ireland will formalise Service Level Agreements with the Local Authorities.

The West Cork Enterprise Board would like to reassure all of our clients that pending completion of the revised service delivery arrangements, we will continue to deliver the full range of enterprise support services.   This is particularly crucial at this time when so many small and micro businesses are struggling and disruption of service could have a catastrophic impact.

Michael Hanley, CEO, states that:

“We have to be realistic, business needs have changed and enterprise support structures need to change also.

The Enterprise Board has been limited to a degree over the years by virtue of its own constitution prohibiting micro credit, loan guarantees and support for businesses employing greater than 10 people.

The Boards have consistently highlighted such deficiencies to our lead Department and have presented comprehensive proposals for solutions. It is anticipated that the roll out of the Local Enterprise Offices will address these shortcomings.

Any measures undertaken have to reflect an innovative and flexible approach to the way we do our business.

The current restructuring acknowledges the need to provide a range of local supports targeting all businesses with clear accessibility retained on a local structure with local flexibility.

Many of the measures proposed in the 2012 Action Plan for Jobs are ones that the County Enterprise Boards have been calling for to be implemented over a sustained period.  These include the development of the “one stop shops” or “local enterprise offices”, the avoidance of duplication of enterprise supports particularly at a local level, the roll out of a micro enterprise fund and the extension of benefit cover to the self employed.

I also believe that a region like West Cork has significant natural resources other attributes and the development of a county loan guarantee fund or a county development fund, which would assist small business credit, should be a priority. The use of a guarantee fund would drive a tactical enterprise agenda. We need to be smart, based on the limited resources we have at our disposal.

Core to this restructuring should be local decision making, local flexibility and allocation of funding and I am confident that the new structures will incorporate these requirements”.

www.wceb.ie

West Cork Enterprise Board,
Kent St,
Clonakilty,
023 8834700

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