Downpatrick business owner says flood relief package is 'only adding salt to wound'

The flooding relief package for businesses destroyed by water after recent heavy rain “means nothing," a Downpatrick business owner has said. The Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced on Wednesday that £15 million of the existing Northern Ireland Civil Service budget would be reallocated for flood-relief funding. Heavy rain in areas of County Armagh and County Down saw businesses flooded with several feet of water.

The scheme is set to take the form of rates relief for flooded business premises and one-off grant payments of £7,500. The grants will be administered by the local council and the rates relief measure will include 100% relief for non-domestic rates on flooded properties for the period between November 1 and March 31 next year. Many business owners in Downpatrick estimated damages in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Bartley Murphy, the owner of Murphy’s Bar in Downpatrick, said the scheme was “only adding salt to the wound”. “I don’t understand why they’re even putting that in front of us,” he said. “If you’re not open and the businesses aren’t here, so why would you want rate relief? If we’re not here, we won’t be paying rates. “If we’re in here struggling over an accident that wasn’t our fault, it’s only adding salt to the wounds.” Mr Heaton Harris visited the Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick on Wednesday evening and left through a back exit as business owners gathered outside the front of the building. Mr Murphy, who was one of those gathered at the centre on Wednesday, said the Nothern Ireland secretary was “given misinformation that there was a mob waiting to mob him”. “If you seen me on TV, I was quite angry but I wasn’t shouting at him, I was shouting at a police officer, a bodyguard of his who told me to shut up, and I was shouting at him that I had every right to be cross,” he said. Mr Murphy said he would have welcomed the minister to the town. “When he went out the back door, he treated us like fools and like idiots,” he said. On Thursday, the permanent secretary for the Department of Finance, Neil Gibson, said the office was working swiftly to provide emergency support, but that every penny would have to be used effectively. Mr Murphy said there was still confusion for businesses over what the announced funding would mean for them. “It’s catastrophic, it’s completely destroyed, kitchen, bar, restaurant, fixtures, fittings. We have a bill of £380,000 to get us open by next week. “The £7,500 that’s been offered, nobody knows where it’s coming from, who it’s coming from, who qualifies and who doesn’t qualify, is it a start-off, is another £100,000 coming down the line or what’s happening. “At the end of the day, if this was an insurance job, we’re not insured. If this was an insurance job, we’d be looking at £700,000-plus to fit out this again.” Mr Murphy said his bar had lost in excess of £70,000 of stock, on top of damage to the building. “We had six-feet of water in our building and I actually couldn’t believe how deep it was,” he said. Mr Murphy added that his bar was “all destroyed”. “Everything is basically in the skip,” he said. Lord Jonathan Caine, the parliamentary under secretary for Northern Ireland visited Downpatrick on Thursday evening. Lord Caine said Mr Heaton-Harris “did engage” with business owners. “The Secretary of State met a lot of businesses and traders in Newry yesterday and he came to Downpatrick as well,” he said. “My understanding is that he did meet some traders here as well but his time was necessarily limited yesterday. “But I’m here today to talk to people, to listen and to take on board their concerns.” A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: "Whilst this is a devolved matter, we are working with the NI Civil Service to make up to £15m of existing funding available to support with clean up costs, and other support to help businesses get back to trading.

"Yesterday the Secretary of State met business owners in Newry and later also met traders from Downpatrick and listened carefully to their concerns.

"We continue to work closely with the NI Civil Service and the local council to finalise the detailed package of support and ensure that funds can be urgently used to address the most pressing needs in the most effective way."

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