Woman 'sickened' by demands to return flood payment

A pistillate from Newry said she felt "sickened" by communications from her section assembly aft it demanded she instrumentality flood enactment wealth which it said was paid to her by mistake.

Loretta Gallagher, who owns a textile creation and acquisition shop, applied and received £7,500 from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

But since past the assembly person told her she was ineligible for the strategy and asked her to instrumentality the money.

Ms Gallagher was sent an invoice demanding the wealth beryllium returned but was subsequently sent an email stating the invoice was sent successful error.

A spokesperson for the assembly said it "does not remark connected matters relating to idiosyncratic concern application".

In October 2023 dense rainfall caused Newry canal to burst its banks, starring to severe flooding successful parts of the city.

Ms Gallagher's store is located connected the archetypal level of a gathering successful 1 of the worst affected areas, Sugar Island.

"The flood was astatine astir 5 feet, six feet astatine the beforehand of this building... it was underwater for the guts of a week," she said.

Ms Gallagher said she was forced to adjacent her concern for 7 months.

"It was similar an unfastened gathering site, determination was damp moving through, determination was nary electricity, determination was nary h2o a batch of the time, determination were nary toilets, determination were lumps falling retired of the walls due to the fact that of the damp."

In November Ms Gallagher applied for a assistance unfastened to businesses impacted by the flood.

"I had the council's biology wellness serviceman travel retired to asses the gathering and the business," she said.

"He passed it presumably due to the fact that it went backmost and past gratefully I received the £7,500 due to the fact that I was astatine the extremity of my tether astatine that stage."

Ms Gallagher said it was successful the caller twelvemonth that she received a telephone telephone from the assembly that a mistake had been made and the assistance needed to beryllium returned.

She said by that signifier she had already spent the money.

"To effort and get this gathering up and going... adjacent to assistance the boys connected the crushed level arsenic well... it was to effort and support assemblage and psyche unneurotic astatine the clip whenever our full income abruptly dries up successful 1 night.

"I made the determination [not to instrumentality the money] due to the fact that I knew I deserved it, I knew I was affected, I knew I was impacted."

A fewer months went by and Ms Gallagher didn't perceive thing from the council.

And past "a mates of days earlier the day of the flooding I got an invoice requesting the wealth wrong 14 days".

Ms Gallagher said she "can't pay" the wealth and it would "end" her business.

On Wednesday nighttime Ms Gallagher received different email from the assembly to accidental that the invoice received "should person been withheld pending further treatment with the council".

She said she "didn't cognize what to make" of this and has "no idea" what is going to hap next.

In the contiguous aftermath of the flooding, businesses could use for rates alleviation and grants of up to £7,500.

The eligibility criteria for this strategy that Loretta Gallagher applied for was arsenic follows:

• The concern indispensable person been ordinarily occupied and trading connected the day of the flooding incident.
• The applicable territory assembly has confirmed that the concern was flooded.
• The concern plans to re-open successful owed course.
• The concern had nary security to screen flood damage.
• The concern indispensable beryllium an SME and trading arsenic such.
• The concern indispensable beryllium liable for the contiguous clean-up costs and enactment to re-establish the business.
• Public assemblage properties were excluded.

In February, the Department for the Economy and 2 section councils opened the Enhanced Flood Support Scheme, offering up to £100,000 per eligible business.

Baffled by Ms Gallagher's concern is Eamonn Connolly, managing manager of Newry Business Improvement District.

"We don't truly cognize what's happening.

"Lorretta was fundamentally impacted by the floods, that's undeniable," helium said.

"Mistakes tin happen, and if connected a technicality Loretta didn't suffice determination should person been a speech to explicate that and engage.

"Unfortunately letters went retired saying she wasn't impacted which added insult to wounded and determination has been a void successful the interim and this sword of Damocles of owing wealth and being chased for it remains hanging implicit her 12 months later, which hasn't been bully for her intelligence health."