Restaurants and cafés can put tables outside for free

(Above) Market Square in Mullingar. Continental style outdoor dining could soon be coming to the town.

Restaurants, bars or cafés that plan to put seats and tables outside when they reopen can do so for free until the end of the year.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District, director of services Mar-tin Murray revealed that for the rest of 2020, businesses planning to place tables and chairs in “the public domain to increase the capacity of their business and to improve its viability” will not have to pay any fees for the rest of 2020.

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, businesses had to pay Westmeath County Council an administration fee of €100, a licence fee of €125 per table per year and another €630 per year if they had a street-side sandwich board or hoarding around tables or seating.

Although the fees are waived for the remainder of the year, businesses will still have to apply for licences.

Mr Murray said that the executive decided to waive fees in a bid to help businesses that will have their indoor capacity reduced due to social distancing requirements for the foreseeable future.

There was not such good news for businesses that have A-frames or sandwich boards outside their premises.

To help the public try to adhere to social distancing guidelines, the council has not permitted the use of this form of advertising for the rest of the year.

Cllr Ken Glynn said that while he supported the initiative, he and other members of the council did not support the introducing of fees for outdoor seating and advertising when it was discussed last year.

Cllr Andrew Duncan said that the waiving of fees was a “very positive step” but that he and his colleagues had “never agreed” to the introduction of the fees in the first place.

He also said that he didn’t see the issue with sandwich boards and that they encourage people to go in to businesses.

Cllr Emily Wallace said that the council needs to provide guidelines to businesses about what they can and can’t do when it comes to installing tables and chairs outside their premises.

Responding to the councillors’ comments, Martin Murray said that the introduction of fees for outdoor tables and advertising is enshrined in legislation and did not come before the councillors for approval.

He added that the waiving of fees for the rest of the year was a “positive proposal to facilitate our town to get back to business”.