Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway County Council is to contact the Department of Local Government and Heritage over outdoor seating fees being levied on pubs not serving food.
This week’s meeting of the local authority heard it's an archaic and discriminatory system.
It’s a case of the pub with no food paying the price - a pub that serves food and drink does not face a payment for having tables and chairs outdoors.
However, a neighbouring pub that does not serve food is charged a seasonal fee of €125 euro.
Councillor Tim Broderick termed the fee on the drink only publicans an anomalous and archaic system at this week’s County Council meeting.
Councilor Broderick claimed that the very spirit of charging the pubs with no food a fee was discriminatory and needed to be changed.
Councillor Joe Sheridan expressed similar sentiments and called for support for the removal of the charge on pubs that do not serve food.
The outdoor system became popular because of the covid crisis. The regulations are in force on a national level.
Councillor Thomas Welby supported by Donagh Killilea proposed that a letter would go to the appropriate Government Department asking for an end to the fees for non-food serving pubs.
That motion was carried unanimously.
