Think ‘local’ when £100 voucher drops

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Economy Minister Gordon Lyons at Carrickfergus for the announcement of the High Street Scheme. Credit: Department for the Economy/PA Wire

July 30 2021 07:37 AM

Anything that can stimulate the local retail and hospitality economies after the trials they have endured during the coronavirus pandemic is to be welcomed.

The plan to give every adult in Northern Ireland a pre-loaded card worth £100 to spend on their local high street is a simple way of encouraging people to help generate extra income for businesses.

It is not a perfect scheme, as the money can be spent in the huge supermarket chains as well as corner shops owned by local people, but it has the advantage of being easy to implement.

There are critics who say that it is unfair to give £100 to people who are in no need of the money. But this is not a scheme aimed at mitigating poverty, but rather helping businesses which endured hard times over the past 18 months.

The money can only be spent in bricks and mortar businesses and cannot be used online, even if local firms have an internet presence.

That rules out companies like Amazon, which saw profits soar during the pandemic because of shop closures and lockdowns.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons announced yesterday the scheme would open for applications in September.

To be eligible people have to be on the electoral register, and the minister urged people to sign up to it as soon as possible so that they don’t miss out on the windfall.

Given the Executive’s history of botched financial schemes it is hoped this one can be delivered as seamlessly as possible.

Certainly, it could have done without Health Minister Robin Swann this week suggesting payments should only be made to people who have had both coronavirus vaccinations. That created the idea of a two-tier system in society, which already has enough divisions.

The biggest task for Mr Lyons is to encourage people to spend the money wisely on retailers and hospitality who are locally based, rather than national chains.

He will need to begin a publicity campaign urgently pointing out how the payments can have the greatest impact.
That does not mean being prescriptive, but shoppers should be aware of those retailers and hospitality outlets which suffered most during the pandemic.

This is not simply a present to the people of Northern Ireland, but a way of helping the province get back on its feet as we move towards a more normal way of life.

That requires aid in restoring the high street to a rude state of health as national chains have closed their doors.

Think ‘local’ when £100 voucher drops

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