Local Enterprise Office Wexford
The Local Enterprise Office is the first stop for any small business. Training, mentoring and advice are open to everyone. Its cash grants are only for manufacturing and internationally traded services businesses with up to 10 staff. What the Wexford office can and cannot fund.
Local Enterprise Office Wexford
- Address
- Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford, Y35 WY93
- Phone
- 053 919 6020
- LEO.Info@wexfordcoco.ie
- Website
- localenterprise.ie/Wexford
- How to apply
- Application form from the office, after an eligibility check. Contact the office first so a business adviser can check whether your business is eligible. Its Feasibility and Business Expansion grant pages say the application form comes from the office, not from the website. It publishes no closing dates or Evaluation and Approvals Committee dates for 2026.
- Courses
- Start Your Own Business courses and other training
Can your business get a LEO grant?
Four taps. The honest answer, and what you can use if the answer is no.
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What Wexford County Council offers
Up to €300 towards painting, or up to €500 towards an awning
Business owners and operators of commercial premises in Ballindaggin, Bree, Bunclody, Davidstown, Enniscorthy, Ferns and Kiltealy. The painting grant could also cover painting homes above shops in Enniscorthy, Bunclody and Ferns. It paid for materials only, such as paint, brushes and fillers bought from a registered business in the local district. A new awning that does not replace an old one needs planning permission.
Send the application form to Enniscorthy Municipal District, Market Square, Enniscorthy, or by email to emdreception@wexfordcoco.ie, with a photo of the premises before work starts, a bank details form and a signed data protection consent form. After the work, send photos, itemised receipts and proof of payment. Decisions were due by 12 June 2026, and the work had to be finished by 11 September 2026.
Closed. The council's news notice gave a closing date of Wednesday 3 June 2026, though the application forms say 5pm on Wednesday 20 May 2026.
The scheme covers the Enniscorthy Municipal District only. The council's 2026 business brochure says it depends on funding and usually opens in late spring each year. We found no 2026 shop front scheme for the county's other Municipal Districts.
A grant towards fit-out and improvement costs, paid against your rates over three years: up to 75% of the year's rates in year 1, up to 50% in year 2 and up to 25% in year 3. Each year's grant is based on the certified fit-out costs you submit in year 1.
A business that opens in a commercial or industrial property in County Wexford that has been vacant for 12 months on the day you apply. Priority goes to the town centres of Bunclody, Enniscorthy, Gorey, New Ross and Wexford, to business and industrial parks, to hospitality and tourism businesses (especially in Rosslare, the Hook Peninsula and Courtown), to art and craft studios or shops, and to artisan food shops. Moving a business from one premises to another is discouraged unless it needs a larger premises that will have a positive economic impact. No rates, levies or other council charges can be owed on the building, on any other commercial property you occupy, or by you.
Contact the council's Economic Development section at economic@wexfordcoco.ie or 053 919 6555 to apply. Send valid invoices for the fit-out. The year 1 payment starts one month after your rates are paid in full, and each year's grant depends on the rates being paid in full.
Open. It is listed in the council's 2026 business brochure, and no closing date is published. The Director of Services has discretion over who qualifies.
The percentages are the most you can get. The grant cannot be more than the certified fit-out costs.
10% of your 2026 rates bill, up to a maximum of €800
Occupiers of commercial property whose total 2026 rates bills come to €30,000 or less. You had to pay in full by 30 June 2026. If you pay by standing order or direct debit, the first payment had to be made before 1 June 2026 and the account must be cleared by 15 December 2026. A ratepayer with arrears can still qualify by paying at least a full year's rates and agreeing a payment plan to clear the arrears. There is one grant per ratepayer.
The council's page does not say whether you need to apply. Ask the Rates Department on 053 919 6059 or at rates@wexfordcoco.ie.
Running for 2026. Standing order and direct debit accounts have until 15 December 2026 to be paid in full.
If a commercial property is vacant and available to let, and the owner has not found a tenant despite reasonable efforts, the council reduces the rates: 60% off a bill up to €2,000, 50% off a bill from €2,000 to €10,000, and 30% off a bill over €10,000. Councillors adopted the scheme at the budget meeting on 24 November 2025.
An online shopping village for independent retailers in Enniscorthy on the Tap Retail platform, paid for by the Local Enterprise Office and Enniscorthy Municipal District. It gives shops eCommerce tools, training and digital support, joint shop local marketing, and click-and-collect with free delivery within 3km for customers.
What would the council take off your rates?
Pick the council and put in the yearly rates bill for the premises.
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LEADER funding in Wexford
LEADER pays grants to rural businesses and community groups. In Wexford it is delivered by one local group, and their staff help you put an application together.
County Wexford, with offices in Wexford town, Gorey, Enniscorthy and New Ross. The county has €5.4 million for the 2023 to 2027 programme.
Open. Its enterprise page says applications are open: email leader@wld.ie and a LEADER Project Officer discusses whether the project is eligible. Community groups and social enterprises can also apply, and social enterprises can send an expression of interest at any time.
Phone: 053 915 5800
Help with a business plan if you are on a welfare payment
If you are on a jobseeker's or other social welfare payment and want to start a business, a local development company helps you prepare the business plan for the enterprise allowances.
County Wexford. Offices on Spawell Road in Wexford, and in Gorey, Enniscorthy and New Ross
Phone: 053 915 5800
Also in Wexford
- The nearest New Frontiers programme for early-stage founders is at South East Technological University (SETU), Waterford and Carlow campuses (Xcelerate).
Good to know in Wexford
Local Enterprise Office Wexford runs one-hour business advice clinics with an expert mentor, booked online and held by Zoom, phone or WhatsApp. The clinic page says the service is free. Its next Start Your Own Business course runs online over eight evenings from 2 November 2026, 6.30pm to 9.30pm, for €25. For a grant, you contact the office to check you are eligible and it gives you the form. It publishes no 2026 closing dates.
Wexford County Council's fit-out grant for reopening a vacant Wexford premises pays up to 75% of your rates in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three, based on what you spend fitting out a property that has been empty for 12 months. Its Small Business Support Grant gives back 10% of 2026 rates, up to €800, where the total bill is €30,000 or less and is paid on time. Owners of vacant premises who cannot find a tenant get 30% to 60% off the rates.
The Enniscorthy district's shopfront painting and awning grants paid up to €300 for paint and up to €500 for an awning in Enniscorthy, Bunclody, Ferns and four villages. The 2026 round has closed, and the council says it usually opens in late spring. Enniscorthy retailers can also join the Digital Retail Village, an online shopping site for the town's independent shops paid for by the council and the Local Enterprise Office.
Wexford Local Development runs both LEADER grants for Wexford tourism, food and green businesses and the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance. LEADER pays up to 60% of a project, to €150,000 for most projects and €100,000 for alternative tourist accommodation, and up to 75% of a feasibility study. The smallest grant is €5,000. For the allowance, your Intreo Case Officer refers you, and the company says the process takes 8 to 12 weeks from your first meeting with it.
What every business in Wexford can apply for
- Microfinance Ireland loans for Wexford businesses: State-backed loans of €2,000 to €50,000 for businesses with fewer than 10 staff, start-ups included.
- the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance in Wexford: keep your welfare payment for two years while you start a business.
- the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance in Wexford: the same idea for people on Jobseeker's Benefit.
- the Grow Digital Voucher through the Wexford office: half the cost of software and digital tools for small businesses.
- the Energy Efficiency Grant for Wexford firms: help with the cost of cutting your energy bills.
- the Wage Subsidy Scheme for Wexford employers: an hourly subsidy when you employ a person with a disability.
We can write the business plan for your allowance application
Starting a business in Wexford? We write the business plan and 12-month cashflow that an allowance or a loan application asks for.
- Your business plan under the headings the Department of Social Protection asks for
- Your 12-month cashflow, month by month
- A prep sheet for the meeting with your adviser, and a guide to the form
€99 one-off, VAT included. You put in your figures and check your cashflow, then pay and answer the questions. A person prepares your pack within two working days. 14-day money-back promise. We cannot promise any funder will approve you.
Common questions
Where is the Local Enterprise Office in Wexford?
It works from Wexford County Council's offices at Carricklawn, Wexford, Y35 WY93. It is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and closed at weekends and on public holidays. Phone 053 919 6020 or email LEO.Info@wexfordcoco.ie to arrange a meeting with a business adviser.
Can a shop or cafe in Wexford get a LEO grant?
Not the main cash grants. The Feasibility, Priming and Expansion grants from the Wexford office are for manufacturing and internationally traded services businesses with up to 10 employees, and the office's eligibility page says retail, personal services such as hairdressers, professional services and local building services are not supported. A shop or cafe can apply for the Grow Digital Voucher (50% of the cost, up to €5,000, after a Digital for Business consultant's report) and the Energy Efficiency Grant (75% of the cost, up to €10,000, after a Green for Business report). Mentoring, training, the council's rates grants and a Microfinance Ireland loan are the other options.
Does Wexford County Council give grants to businesses?
Yes. The Small Business Support Grant gives back 10% of your 2026 rates, up to €800, if your total bill is €30,000 or less and is paid on time. The Vacant Property Grant Incentive Scheme pays a fit-out grant worth up to 75%, 50% and 25% of your rates over three years if you open in a premises vacant for 12 months. In the Enniscorthy district, shopfront painting and awning grants of up to €300 and €500 ran in 2026 but have closed.
Who helps with a Back to Work Enterprise Allowance business plan in Wexford?
Wexford Local Development runs the scheme for the Department of Social Protection. You first check you are eligible with your Intreo Case Officer, who refers you to the company, and an Enterprise Officer then meets you and guides you through it. The company says the process takes 8 to 12 weeks from that first meeting, and it offers pre-enterprise training, bookkeeping and tax training, and business mentoring. Phone 053 915 5800.
Is LEADER funding open in Wexford?
Yes. Wexford Local Development says applications are open to businesses in rural tourism, niche food and drink, and the green economy, with fewer than 250 employees. Email leader@wld.ie, and a LEADER Project Officer will talk to you about eligibility before you write a business plan and application. Grants run from €5,000 up to €150,000, and an independent Evaluation Committee assesses each application.
Where this comes from
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, contact page
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, eligibility criteria
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, Priming Grant
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, Feasibility Grant
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, Business Expansion Grant
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, business advice and mentoring
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, Business Advice Clinic 7 October 2026
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, Start Your Own Business course from 2 November 2026
- Local Enterprise Office Wexford, Vacant Property Grant Incentive Scheme
- Local Enterprise Offices, Grow Digital Voucher
- Local Enterprise Offices, Energy Efficiency Grant
- Wexford County Council, Small Business Support Grant Scheme
- Wexford County Council, changes to rates on vacant premises
- Wexford County Council, contact the Rates Department
- Wexford County Council, Supporting Business, Driving Growth brochure (PDF)
- Wexford County Council, Enniscorthy Municipal District Shopfront Improvement Grants 2026
- Wexford County Council, Shopfront Painting Grant Scheme 2026 application form
- Wexford County Council, Shopfront Awning Grant Scheme 2026 application form
- Wexford County Council, business and economic development contacts
- Wexford Local Development, LEADER funding for local enterprises
- Wexford Local Development, LEADER funding for communities
- Wexford Local Development, Enterprise Supports and the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
- Wexford Local Development, contact details
- gov.ie, LEADER Local Action Groups and implementing partners 2023 to 2027
- gov.ie, LEADER Local Action Groups contact details
- gov.ie, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
- New Frontiers, SETU Waterford campus
- New Frontiers, SETU Carlow campus
Checked on 3 October 2026. We are an independent guide, not a government service. Closing dates and schemes change, so confirm with the office or the council before you rely on anything here.