Making Sligo the first free "wifi" broadband town in Ireland as well as removing parking charges during the Easter holidays are among the latest trade-boosting proposals from the Fair Dealer Alliance.

The suggestions come in the aftermath of last Thursday night's meeting organised by the Fair Dealers and Sligo Council of Trade Unions in The Glasshouse Hotel attended by up to 200 people.

Issues that came to the fore at the meeting included the necessity of solving Sligo's parking problems, the need for a dedicated tourism strategy and for immediate action on empty shops, the exploration of free wifi broadband for the town and the elimination of barriers to setting up enterprises.

Following the meeting, Fair Dealer founder Phelim O'Neill said it was crucial to follow through on the many positive ideas raised by those in attendance.

"As a first course of action following Thursday night's meeting, the Fair Dealers are now calling on Sligo Borough Council to continue their support for Sligo's businesses by moving to remove parking charges during the Easter holidays in an attempt to boost trade in town. The Fair Dealers have taken on board some of the issues raised about the abuse of the free parking initiative over the Christmas period and are now corresponding with the borough council with a view to requesting that free parking would be offered for a maximum of one hour in the towns car parks to ensure that consumers get the full benefit of the scheme," Mr. O'Neill explained.

With regard to the proposal to make Sligo Irelands first free wifi broadband town, he said the Fair Dealers had already arranged a meeting with Sligo's broadband provider, Fastcom, to discuss the feasibility of putting this system in place in Sligo.

The Fair Deal Alliance has also called upon any businesses that have not yet signed up to the 'Love Sligo' loyalty scheme to do so this week to ensure that their business is represented in the 'Love Sligo' business directory, which will be delivered to more than 15,000 of Sligo's union members. Businesses can join this campaign online at www.fairdealer.org.

Reacting to the turnout to last Thursday night's meeting, Mr. O'Neill said the Fair Dealers and Sligo Council of Trade Unions were overwhelmed to see more than 140 people in attendance at, what he described as "an historic crisis meeting."

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. O'Neill pointed out how important it was for everybody to work together at "this crisis moment to build a strategy to face the challenges head on".

On behalf of the Trade Unions, Mr. Hugh MacConville said that everybody coming to the meeting had to set aside their historic differences and, rather than spend the meeting scoring points off each other, instead concentrate on identifying the issues and working toward some solutions.

The meeting was attended by business people, trade union members and members of the public concerned about the future of the town.

Those attending the meeting elected a working group charged with tackling issues identified.

The Fair Dealers and the Trade Unions have already made progress on some of these issues and are looking forward to meeting some of the people who attended Thursday night's meeting and coopting them on to the working group.

Speaking to The Sligo Champion, Mr. O'Neill described the meeting as a very positive first step toward tackling the issues facing Sligo's retailers.

"I only expected a modest turnout. However, the response from Sligo's business community is clearly indicative of the extent of the challenges facing the retail sector.

"It is crucial that we act to follow through on the many positive ideas raised by those in attendance at Thursday's meeting and am committed to working with the other members of the working group to ensure Sligo weathers this storm," concluded Mr. O'Neill.

- HARRY KEANEY