Lord Caine’s ‘commitment’ to town as he meets traders

Lord Caine’s ‘commitment’ to town as he meets traders

3 April 2024

A LEADING NIO minister has praised the stoicism of Downpatrick traders four months after their businesses were swamped by the worst town centre flood in living memory.

In November, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Lord Jonathan Caine was shocked by the devastation he witnessed on a walkabout in the town centre.

He had been invited by Baroness Margaret Ritchie to view the scale of the devastation at first hand and meet traders whose businesses were left in ruins by the flood.

On that occasion, an empathetic Lord Caine described the flood and its aftermath as “terrible events” and listened intently to what several businessmen had to say.

Last Wednesday, Lord Caine was back in the town to visit Asda’s temporary store and to meet with traders and other business community representatives.

Following a walkabout, he spoke with traders and other business community representatives at the St Patrick Centre.

Lord Caine said that financial help for flood-hit businesses in Downpatrick is now a "matter for the Executive”.

He said he was a great believer that politicians shouldn't just come somewhere once, get some publicity, and then never be seen again."

"I have an ongoing commitment to supporting traders here and retailers and that's why I have come back,” he told reporters. "When we put together the support package there was no Executive in place.

"Now thankfully the Executive is restored, so it is predominantly a matter for the Executive to take the lead on in conjunction with the local authorities.”

Lord Caine met again some of those affected by Storm Ciarán and heard how they are recovering from the flooding, and how the funding provided has supported them. He also visited the recently opened temporary Asda store in the town.

“When I visited Downpatrick in November last year, I was struck by the heart breaking stories that I heard, but also impressed by the resilience of the community and their united resolve to rebuild local businesses and facilities,” he said.

“I was very pleased to return to Downpatrick to see how the local community is recovering from the flooding.

“In particular, I am glad to see that the rates relief and £15m funding made available by the UK Government, in the absence of the NI Executive last year, is being put to use for the betterment of those affected.”

Lord Caine revealed that in January he met his Parliamentary colleague and Asda chairman, Lord Rose, to discuss the future commitment of the company to Downpatrick and was pleased to be able to visit the temporary store.

“I also welcome the NI Civil Service’s Enhanced Flood Support Scheme that made up to £10m available to assist small and medium sized businesses,” he continued.

“I know the Department of Economy has worked closely with local councils to deliver this support and I am grateful for their efforts. I hope the Executive can now work to support businesses and local communities in the long-term as they fully recover from the flooding and begin building a prosperous future.”

Last November, when Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris announced the £15m funding package, some traders who were badly hit by the flooding criticised him for not meeting with them. Many also said that the £15m was not enough to enable traders to stay open.

The initial support package included rates relief for flooded business premises until the end of March and one-off grant payments of £7,500 for affected eligible businesses.

In addition, the Civil Service announced additional support providing up to £100,000 per business to help with the replacement of damaged or destroyed equipment, refitting of flooded property and repair of damage to buildings.