Limerick Chamber Launches Budget 2023 Campaign

Limerick Chamber Budget 2023 – pictured above are Dee Ryan, CEO of the Limerick Chamber, and Seán Golden, Chief Economist at the Chamber who are advocating for affordable housing and energy.

Limerick Chamber finds action is required for housing, renewable energy and supporting regional businesses

Limerick Chamber, the largest business representative body in the Mid-West, has said urgent action is required to support regional businesses, many still reeling from Brexit and pandemic impacts and now hit with the increasing cost of doing business.

Speaking at the launch of their Submission for the Budget 2023, Dee Ryan, Limerick Chamber Chief Executive, said, “Affordable housing, talent, and energy are the burning issues that our members are talking to us about, each one feeding into upward pressure on wages and contributing to the increasing cost of doing business across the region.”

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“Without an adequate response from the Government targeted into vulnerable households and vulnerable businesses, we face potential closures and job losses in 2023. This in turn will have an impact on our town and city centres with consumer-facing businesses taking the brunt of the decline in consumer confidence.”

Commenting on the submission of the 2023 budget, Seán Golden, Limerick Chamber Chief Economist, said, “Lack of affordable housing has featured heavily in consultations with businesses. We are experiencing an acute shortage of affordable homes for purchase and rent with just 61 homes at an average cost of €1,600 per month, on the rental market in the whole of Limerick in August.”

Paradoxically, vacancy and dereliction are not uncommon across the country in towns and cities, undermining efforts at vibrancy being made by community groups and businesses. In the submission, the Chamber highlights the potential benefits for Limerick city and county towns of a review of the Living Cities Initiative, with a loosening of eligibility for the scheme making it more accessible for potential homeowners. In conjunction with this, Government must bring forward plans for strategic vacant and derelict sites in cities and towns.

“The challenge for Government in Budget 2023 is to balance doing enough to address the current cost of living and cost of doing business crisis, whilst also putting a focus on long-term challenges that face our country. In addition to housing, we must become much more ambitious in our aims for the renewable energy sector. Limerick and the Mid-West have an enormous role to play in helping the EU decarbonise through floating offshore wind from the Shannon Estuary and we are calling for increased focus at Government on realising this opportunity.”

For further information on the Limerick Chamber Budget 2023, go HERE 

For more stories on the Limerick Chamber, go HERE