Casual traders are taking local business says Leitrim councillors

Allowing one-off casual trading licences in Drumshanbo, Leitrim  for the Joe Mooney Summer School is "unfair,” Cllr Enda McGloin has said during a recent meeting.
All councillors were in agreement with Cllr McGloin who said that he had been contacted by a number of businesses expressing concern about competing with casual traders during what is a very lucrative week for the town.
Cllr McGloin said the event is one of the biggest music events in the country.
Leitrim County Council has adopted Casual Trading Byelaws, as provided for under the Casual Trading Act 1995, to regulate the operation of Casual Trading and Event Licencing for the county.

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Drumshanbo has seven trading bays, two of which are licensed for weekly Casual Trading.
Cllr McGloin said that rate paying businesses, some of which pay up to €6,000 should be "protected" and "then for a casual trader to pay €200 for a licence and come in and "cash in on the busiest week of the year".
He said that while he didn't have an issue with traders selling items such as musical instruments but for a "trader to come in and see fast food within arms distance of business there; that's not fair because that is directly taking from them."
He noted that the trading bays are located in the car park on the Main Street and the Mart Link Road.
He said that he has seen traders come to the event "in the past and they don't have any licences" and asked the council to "inspect casual traders to ensure that they have a licence and are trading in a bay that's not licensed."
He added that if a casual trader is selling fast food for example, they should "be placed completely away from the existing business."

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Cllr Brendan Barry supported Cllr McGloin saying the council should "carefully consider who they are granting licenses to in order to protect the rate-paying businesses."
Cllr Paddy O'Rourke also agreed with the motion saying that businesses in the town provide "a 52-week service to people and the few weeks where extra people are around, they find themselves having to share that with people from outside".
Cllr McGloin noted that the chairperson of the Enterprise and Economic Development Strategic Policy Committee is fellow Ballinamore councillor, Gary Prior.

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"That SPC deals with casual trading and I'm hoping we can review the casual trading byelaws in light of the issues raised by councillors."
He said: "I have a serious issue where the local authority grants trading bays in car parks when car parking is a problem in most of our towns. We spent huge money on a car park on the Mart Link Road and end up with two trading bays taking out about five or six car parking spaces. That is a kick in the teeth to the ratepayers who expect a better service."
He stressed: "We have to review the location of those casual trading bays because they are taking away parking from the town centre."
Cllr McGloin asked that the council to ensure that "fly by nights" are complying with the byelaws and "have licences and trading from bays they should be trading from and if not there should be enforcement to remove them from those areas during the course of that week."