Speaking at the November meeting which voted through the 2026 budget, Sinn Féin councillor John Hearne said that this was the most progressive budget he has seen as a councillor, but warned that retail may go the same way as fishing if costs are pushed too far.
A 3.5% rate increase proved to be the most controversial aspect of this year’s budget, which offered increased funding for housing, festivals, environmental services, and libraries.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr. Hearne said, “I can understand the worry about retailers, because you can be forgotten very easily in a modern world”.
“I know from my own job as a fisherman. There’s nobody fishing nearly on the whole coast of Waterford, a whole way of life wiped out, and that’s a sad thing, and it went without anybody saying much about it.”
Speaking to The Munster Express after the meeting, Cllr. Hearne said, “You go to Dunmore now, there are barely any Irish boats. They were all priced out of it, costs went up for diesel, taxes went up on everything and then the fishing quotas went down”.
“Eventually these things reach a tipping point and there’s no going back.”
Cllr. Hearne warned that the same could happen to retail, if pressures continue to increase unchecked. “I knew a woman who started in City Square in Waterford. Then that became more expensive so she moved out to the Cork Road. Then that increased too so she went fully online. And people are fickle if it costs less online then they’ll just buy it there.”
When asked if retail in Waterford City has reached the tipping point, Cllr. Hearne said he did not think so. “No I don’t think they are there yet. But if government continues to take its eye off the ball it can get there. They are near the edge and it just takes one or two more things to go against them,” he said.
“I would love to see more independent retailers in the town. I remember when we were fishing, there was a fish shop named Flannigan’s. And the 300 fishermen would all meet up there, and we’d talk about everything that was going on, so retail can be a social thing too.”
“But that all went when the fishing did,” Cllr. Hearne added.
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