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INDEPENDENT COFFEE SHOPS in Dublin city could soon be offered more public leases after two local councillors called out the increasing dominance of larger, chain café businesses being awarded rental agreements.
Management at Dublin City Council last night said it would look at the possibility of issuing targeted adverts for café sites it owns so that small and independent business owners have a better opportunity to win rental contracts.
It came after Sinn Féin councillor Anthony Connaghan and independent councillor Vincent Jackson highlighted last night that chain cafés have frequently been awarded contracts for the sites, despite councillors previously voting to support local businesses.
Both councillors also asked if it was at all possible for smaller businesses to compete for leases without having to go through an extensive procurement process. They argued it would make it simpler and easier for independent vendors to compete.
Dublin City Council own and lease a number of coffee cabins and allocated café spaces around the parks and sports grounds in the city.
Businesses must first respond to an expression of interest, or an advert, outlining their desire to lease the site from the council. Respondents that have proven track records at other locations and the relevant staff training and qualifications are often granted leases.
In return for the use of the site, a cheap, at-cost rent is charged by the council which will often cover services such as cleaning the on-site lavatories and general maintenance. Elected councillors get an opportunity to accept, and later extend, the lease of the site.
A vote was held last night to grant a three-year lease to The Tram Café Ltd, a chain of Irish coffee shops with seven existing locations in the Dublin city area, for a café space located in Johnstown Park in Glasnevin, Dublin 9.
Every councillor agreed to grant the contract to the café chain, for which the council will receive at least €24,500 for the lease. An optional two-year extension is included in the contract, costing an additional €18,000, at the discretion of another vote at a later date.
Before the contract was agreed, Sinn Féin’s Finglas councillor Anthony Connaghan and independent councillor for Ballyfermot Vincent Jackson asked if it would be possible for the council to make it easier for independent vendors to get contracts.
“I don’t have an issue with granting the licence here,” Connaghan said, explaining that it has taken “several years” for the council to find a tenant for the site. He said, however, that councillors have previously voted to support local and community businesses.
“From my own experience, the last few tenders for coffee units seem to have gone to bigger, established groups [...] it’s hard for a local business to compete with them,” he added.
Connaghan asked if the council could issue an advertisement that targeted and welcomed bids from smaller, independent coffee shops to host their business at the council-owned sites.
He also asked if it would be possible if the current procurement process – the method in which the rental contract is awarded to businesses – was made simpler for independent operators.
Jackson echoed Connaghan’s question, adding that he has assisted in operating services on council-owned spaces with community groups in the past and found that it is often the case that the local authority receives “a tiny amount of money” for the sites.
He argued that the low-cost associated with renting the site from Dublin City Council should be all the more reason for the executive to award the rental agreements to small, independent cafés.
“I think, going forward, there are opportunities for us to assist young people in developing career prospects across the board – in our communities across the city,” he said.
“Community groups don’t have the capacity that the big players have. And, an awful lot of the time, charging people €4 – €4.50 for a cup of tea or a cup of coffee puts it beyond what we’re trying to do in our parks and our open spaces.”
Responding to both questions, assistant chief executive of Dublin City Council Anthony Flynn claimed that the council has previously issued advertisements that have promoted local businesses to apply for public sites with “limited success”.
“Maybe it’s time that we do it again,” Flynn said. “We’ve no issue, in the context of the development department, considering, where appropriate, an expression of interest and promoting local enterprise.”
He said awarding contracts to independent businesses fits into the management’s existing policies and various local development and enterprise plans. He added that he was of the view that it would also support local training and employment.
“We’ve no issue with going out again and having a look at that, where appropriate,” he said.
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This is all about blame, the government wants the ability to point to a quango and blame it on the future hikes in energy and fuel prices, but we all know it them pushing the failed green ajenda and making ordinary people poorer.
@087 bed: Yep Germany closed down their nuclear and coal electricity plants, and bought into the renewables like wind and solar, but when they turned off their cheap russian gas, it exposed the whole scam!
@Dave Callaghan: What scam? Nuclear and renewables were never claimed to be able to fully replace gas. It is much cheaper and cleaner to use gas generation than coal. Without renewables and nuclear, the impact of the Russian gas reduction would’ve been much greater
@087 bed: The ‘quango’ is entirely in your imagination.
@Brendan O’Brien: Brendan. The quango is enabled by the EU, who won’t change how the price of electricity is decided.
Under the rules they dreamed up, the price is decided by whichever is the most expensive at a given time.
Say wind is cheap at the moment and gas is the dearest. The gas price is what is charged for all the electricity.
@Donal Ronan: How come we pay the most for electricity in the E.U. so?
@Brian D’Arcy: Brian. It would be worth your while reading Mario Draghi’s report and what he says about decoupling electricity prices.
The electricity company bosses nearly had heart attacks.
Electricity prices are decided by the dearest at a given time, which is usually gas. Even though gas doesn’t generate as much electricity anymore.
We are stuck with the same EU rules. Hence high prices, which for everything in Ireland is higher.
The wind guys must be laughing.
I love when they say energy security and independence.
Note to new justice minister– we need a huge detention centre built pronto to hold all the illegal immigrants until they can be sent back to wherever they came from. And FFS start enforcing our immigration laws !!!
”Eighty-five percent of people who applied for international protection at Dublin Airport in 2023 arrived without a correct identity document. In total, 4,712 people arrived at Dublin Airport and claimed asylum in 2023; 4,007 had either no or false identity documents” …breaking news.ie 12 August 2024
Were all these unvetted illegals locked up?… No
Less woke politics and more law and order please!!
”State spent €2.5m per day in 2024 to house International Protectction applicants” -breakingnews.ie 2024.
”airlines fined €2.5m in last two years for flying in passengers without travel documents” Irish examiner 2024
That’s an example of open borders woke politics. Rodders and Helen have an awful lot to answer for. I hope Rodders gets no speaking time in the next Dail the git
@Finn Barr: we need an effective robust immigration system. One where is based on those vulnerable and in need of protection. Additionally the numbers who are coming via Belfast and not through an official port of entry into Ireland and rocking up to the justice office to apply for protection with no identification. The department of education and all the “third level” colleges need to be brought to the table, the number of people who are claiming aslyum while also attending a third level college paying third level fees but applying for aslyum and getting free accommodation!
At least we’ve no more Tweeting Roderic, inviting the dregs of the 3rd world here and it looks like the days of Helen McEntee handing out Irish citizenships like confetti are over, thank phuk.
Michael Healy Rae for the climate job (just to piss off the Greens)
@Dave Callaghan: i think Danny for that portfolio would piss the greens off even more.We might even get the gas storage plant at Ballylongford.
Please let Healy ray be in charge of energy. Pleeeeeease
Not a good time to piśś off our most important trading partner by needlessly involving ourselves in the Gaza/Israel conflict.
Perhaps our new buddies in South Africa can advise on energy policy.
Like us, they cannot run their own country properly, or even keep the lights on, but see fit to interfere in the internal conflict in Israel.
@Thomas Sheridan: South Africa’s energy policy is about 3 hours electricity per day. Then during the blackouts they rob all the copper off the power lines. The natives really made a lovely job of that country since they got it back!!!
This is the South African parliament
@Finn Barr: .https://youtu.be/zP7bsMkIXqo?si=ek8aG9C5XupUE5LG
@Thomas Sheridan: I presume you are talking about the US. The US isn’t our most important trading partner. That’s Europe, and if Israel is brought to book, what harm. I’m equally annoyed with Hamas, etc, but far too many innocents have died during this war and it needs to stop. We have the Israeli Government pulling their Embassy, we’ve had our soldiers( peacekeepers) shot at and harassed by the IDF.
It’s time to end this.
@Thomas Sheridan: So it’s needlessly to speak out about a war where tens of thousands of innocent people are being killed?. So why don’t we stop needlessly getting involved in Ukraine/Russia conflict and the rest of the world conflicts?. Best to stay out of all them and not be selective wouldn’t you say.
@Paul O’Mahoney: Europe isn’t a country, and America is our biggest export market according to the OTB article in today’s Irish Independent.
It also raises the question that I have. Why set ourselves apart from our EU partners in this regard. And for what benefit.
Ireland could have played a more constructive role in the conflict by acting as an independent honest broker rather than a bully to Israel and throwing our lot in with Hamas terrorists.
It simply isn’t our fight.
Its showboating on the international stage and Celtic Tiger type hubris, at a time when we cannot provide housing for our own population.
I note that Ireland is funding new water pipe infrastructure there. Presumably to replace the ones that were dug up to make missiles to be fired at Israeli civilians.
@Finn Barr: it must make the Dunnes Store boycotted really proud
@Enoch Kochwomble: Why should I be told to move to a basket case country for simply expressing a legitimate view that is the same as one of our MEPs today.
Presumably, you would have no problem with the dregs from SA illegally coming here.
Your comment is symptomatic of the Loony Left intolerance to diverse opinions.
FFG may yet rue that they won the election, lots of nasty stuff coming down the track!
@Brian Hunt: Like what? I’m not saying there’s only sunshine and lollipops awaiting us but I would like get read what people think.
As long as McEntee is out that’s fine.
The one glaring issue is getting the likes of Fisheries, Forests and Wildlife into one Dept, like in North America, the very first move being to amalgamate IFI and NPWS and probably EPA as well. At present they are being deliberately held toothless.
Also it will virtually need a new Dept. to oversee getting rid of that asine “no Nuclear” leglislation and planning for achieving our Climate oblgations before we end up paying vast sums to the French on one hand and loosing a large whack of Big Tech and their Data on the other.
I would like to think that Mr.Martin and Mr.Harris have discussed the next US Ambassador?
Make Kilgarvan Great Again
Big task to repair Ireland Energy infrastructure after years of mismanagement by Chief Muppet Ryan.
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