Shopping voucher scheme may be 'too late' for local traders

A Londonderry shop owner has said Stormont's voucher scheme may be "too late" for shops which must close their doors on Friday.

The £95m voucher scheme was announced by the Stormont Executive on Monday.

The incentive, which will be rolled out in 2021, will give shoppers a pre-paid card to support local traders on the high street.

Helen Lilly, who owns the Sacred Tree holistic craft shop says "businesses need financial input now".

The pre-paid card issued through the voucher scheme will be worth about £200 per household, Finance Minister Conor Murphy has said.

The minister said the Department for the Economy will roll out the plan in early 2021, as it takes about six weeks to develop.

Ms Lilly said: "It is no good telling me there is a voucher system in 2021 when the money needs to be on the floor now."

Non-essential shops in Northern Ireland have been ordered to shut for two weeks from Friday.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, the Derry shop owner said that there is no guarantee that her business would even be able to keep trading in the new year.

"We need the money now so that we can reopen for the new year," Ms Lilly said.

She said the closure of the hospitality sector in October lead to a dramatic "drop in footfall" for the retail sector in the city when other vendors in Northern Ireland could continue to trade.

Derry and Strabane District Council area was placed under stricter coronavirus restrictions on 1 October due to a significant spike in cases in the north west.

Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels in the area were placed under tighter restrictions two and half weeks before the rest of Northern Ireland was placed under similar restrictions.

Ms Lilly said the vouchers should have been made available over the Christmas period to help support local businesses and also for families struggling financially in the run up to Christmas.

Jenny Doherty, who owns Little Acorns bookshop in Derry, said the voucher scheme was "long overdue" and would help support many independent traders on the high street in the new year.

However, the bookshop owner said it was vital that people still supported businesses that are closing for two weeks.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show, Ms Doherty said: "People need to remember that for a lot of these shops, even though they will not be open for you to browse, they are still open.

"You can contact them by email, through their Facebook page or by phone call, they are still there and will be open in a different format and in a new way."

Mr Murphy said the scheme would "stimulate growth on the high street".