Connacht Tribune
Housing crisis is hitting hospitality sector hard in Galway
Four out of five businesses in Galway say the lack of accommodation is impacting on their ability to hire staff – and as many as nine out of ten are finding their hiring practices affected by the limited supply of housing.
This comes after one city publican revealed that the only solution he could find to the accommodation crisis was to buy two houses to offer rooms to prospective staff at an affordable rate.
The overall picture was painted in stark focus in a new survey conducted by Galway Chamber on the impact of housing on the local business community.
It also found that seven out of ten Galway businesses also say the low level of housing is impacting their ability to retain staff.
While more than half businesses in Galway (56%) say that accommodation issues are ‘regularly’ cited by potential hires when considering a role with their business, with an additional 1 in 8 businesses saying that issue is ‘always’ mentioned.
A total 72% of businesses in Galway say potential hires or existing staff have cited the inability to find accommodation since the turn of the year.
That tallies with the experience of one city publican who revealed that finding reasonably priced accommodation is proving to be the nail in the coffin for many job applicants.
Michael Gilmore, owner of the Cellar Bar on Eglinton Street, Seven on Bridge Street, Tigín in Woodquay and An File in Westport, had to turn down an offer to buy another major premises due to the difficulties in recruiting workers.
He has even considered bringing in staff from abroad to ensure all shifts are covered. But finding them housing is practically impossible in Galway and Westport. He is about to close a sale on two houses that he will use as cut-price accommodation for his workers.
“It’s crazy, just crazy. I’m hoping that by being able to offer housing, I will attract people from other parts of the country who want to come to Galway but can’t afford it,” he told the Galway City Tribune.
“I get a lot of applications for the jobs, but then they turn the offers down because they can’t get a place to stay. Hospitality can’t afford to pay rates that will enable them to stay in Galway. It’s just crazy stuff.
“I’m going to offer them accommodation at a reasonable rate – half of what is normally asked for in Galway just so I can keep the businesses going.”
The Chamber survey found that three out of four businesses (77%) say existing staff or potential new hires have said rent locally is too expensive during the same period and a further 54% have been told by staff/ potential hires there are no properties for rent in their price range.
Two out of five businesses have been told that there are no properties for sale in their price range, while 36% say staff/ potential hires have cited the poor quality of available accommodation.
As a result of the accommodation shortage, seven out of ten Galway businesses say they have reduced their hiring targets for the next twelve months, while 55% say they are concerned about retaining staff over that same period.
Galway Chamber CEO Kenny Deery said that the housing crisis was having a real impact on business in Galway and the local business environment.
“The problems people are facing finding accommodation for themselves and their families are making it increasingly difficult for our local businesses to secure and retain staff,” he said.
“These aren’t isolated stories, this has become the norm and it is impacting businesses of all shapes and sizes – from start-ups to multinationals and from tech and pharma businesses to professional services and retail. Everyone is feeling the accommodation pinch.
“We must find solutions – both in the short term and the medium term because otherwise businesses and their staff will suffer.
“All options for addressing this issue need to be on the table. That means enabling sites of development potential to advance, improving the public transport network to better serve the commuter towns with sustainable transport as well as targeted measures that will deliver more immediate results by freeing up vacant rooms and buildings across Galway,” Mr Deery concluded.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
