Business tenants of the Quay Units in Ballina, located along the River Moy, continue to pay rent despite being closed down for business due to the Covid 19 Restrictions.

Paul Ginty, of Quay Fitness, is one such tenant. He is eleven years in business and he says it’s not easy to go public, but it is increasingly difficult to meet a weekly / monthly rent bill when your business is shut down.

He told Midwest News today that he knows that businesses in the Quay Units are not the only businesses in Mayo struggling with such issues, and he believes there should be some kind of a simple rent relief scheme during lockdowns.

Moy Valley Resources IRD is the landlord for the Quay Units and it’s a registered charity that receives public funding.

Mr Ginty says to date, tenants of the Quay Units have not been given any relief on rents since the Lockdown came into effect at the end of December.

During the first lockdown( last year) the Quay Unit tenants eventually got a reprieve on a percentage of what they owed.

He believes that the system of grant reliefs in place by government and local enterprise offices to assist businesses during lockdown are cumbersome and difficult to navigate through, and suggests they may have been devised that way to discourage applicants.

Midwest News contacted both Mayo County Council and Moy Valley Resources IRD for a comment and we are awaiting a response.

Speaking to Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley Paul says the rent bill has not stopped since businesses were forced to go back into Lockdown last Christmas…