Cllr. Kenneth O'Flynn

Information Bulletin

New 'one-stop' shops are to be established in each county and city council to facilitate the start-up of small businesses. The new units known as "Local Enterprise Offices' will sit firmly within the county/city council structure. The councils will absorb the County Enterprise Board functions and dovetail them with those of the Business Support Units in each county to form the new Local Enterprise Offices. The fact that the new Enterprise offices will sit within the County/City Council structure will be viewed as a welcome development.

Extract from Department of the Environment statement:

'The “One Stop Shops” will be called “Local Enterprise Offices” and will build on the significant work done by the CEBs to date. The new “one-stop-shop” micro enterprise support structure will be achieved through the dissolution of the existing CEBs and the creation of a new Micro Enterprise and Small Business Unit in Enterprise Ireland (EI) that will work with Local Authorities to establish a new network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in each Local Authority.



The LEOs will be mandated to provide a range of supports and services to all local micro enterprises who seek such supports. Essentially, the LEOs will carry out the combined work of the CEBs and the Business Support Units of the Local Authorities.



The new LEOs will offer:

• Local business advisory services (licensing, regulation, planning, etc);

• Information and support for accessing the local procurement process;

• Close coupling to NEES (National Employment and Entitlements Service) /SOLAS (Seirbhísí Oideachais Leanunaigh agus Scileanna) services (referrals, access to training/development/recruitment);

• Access to micro-business supports/incentives (finance, innovation, marketing, mentoring, management development); and

• Progression for high-growth companies to appropriate EI supports."