Lanesborough businessman Joe O' Brien says last winter was the worst for business in the town and surrounding areas in recent times.
The local shop owner says with the money that young people could earn on Bord Na Mona to fund their college fees now gone, families have had to find that money elsewhere and haven't had it to spend locally.
He also says the funding being made available for feasibility studies needs to be increased to 100% because people who want a study to be carried out on a business idea can't always come up with the 10 or 20% contribution.
His comments come in the aftermath of a visit to Longford last Friday by Minister Eamon Ryan and other government members to launch the second phase of the Just Transition Fund.
Speaking on the Let's Talk show this afternoon, Joe O Brien says nothing tangible has come from the studies and funding allocated under just Transition so far and in the meantime the community is losing their young people in droves…
'From a business point of view, last winter was the worst winter in business in Lanesborough and I would say in surrounding areas.
Simply because all of the youngsters that used to get funding through working on the Bord for the summer, the families that have kids going to school that would have been working in Bord Na Mona now the families have to fund that.
If not then the kids have to leave the community for the summer.
People are saving, saving, saving, people have no money, the money has gone out of the community.'
