Motion: Fermanagh and Omagh Remote Business Strategy

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world forever. One major change that the pandemic has brought to the United Kingdom is a change of working habits.

Throughout the United Kingdom more and more businesses are adopting a hybrid or working-from-home model to allow their employees more work/life balance, and ultimately reduce the need to work in a specific location and reduce travel costs.

Therefore, this motion believes that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council should develop a ‘Remote Business Strategy’ to promote Fermanagh and Omagh as an ideal place to live if you can work remotely. This would, support members of our district who already work from home, encourage those with the means to work
remotely to remain in the district, attract high skilled workers who can work remotely to live in our district and encourage businesses to recruit from the Fermanagh and Omagh area promoting employment opportunities for remote workers.

Strategies like this have already been created for other local authorities, such as our neighbours in the County Donegal Council. This motion believes it is important that this strategy is developed now so we are not playing catch-up in the future. This strategy should serve as a means of promoting economic growth within our district as those working remotely will spend part of their salaries locally and this strategy will discourage the need for economic emigration.

This motion therefore calls for the creation of a ‘remote business strategy group’ to develop the creation of a ‘Fermanagh and Omagh Remote Business Strategy’.