The deadline to use the £100 pre-paid Spend Local card will be extended to December 14.
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons made the announcement today.
In a statement to the Assembly, the Minister said to date, over 1.024 million cards have been dispatched, over 580,000 of these have been activated.
“Over £26.5m has now been injected into our local economy. These are quite remarkable statistics and, while it is still early days, I think it is fair to say the process of recovery on our high streets is now under way,” he said.
The Minister said by the end of this week, cards will have been dispatched to at least 95% of applicants, and by the middle of next week, cards will have been dispatched to all those verified to date.
The Minister said that in order to maximise the benefit to our local businesses including retail, hospitality and service sectors, it is vitally important that everyone spends the full £100 on their Spend Local card.
He said the extra two-week period will also allow card holders who have some balance left on their card, no matter how small, to spend it in local businesses.
“For anyone who has any balance left on their card, no matter how small, my message is: please go out and spend it locally. Buy a coffee, a breakfast, a newspaper or magazine, or even a small present for someone this Christmas. Maximise the Spend Local card. Every penny spent will help.
“The objective of the High Street Scheme is to stimulate recovery in our local businesses by encouraging increased spending rather than online. By extending the deadline to use the Spend Local card, we can encourage more people to purchase Christmas presents, Christmas decorations and even food for Christmas dinner in their local area rather than online.”
The Minister said he had consistently encouraged all card holders to use their Spend Local cards to support businesses in their local area that have been impacted by the pandemic.
“And finally, remember: please, please Spend Local.”