Deadline to spend £100 High Street voucher extended

The deadline for spending the £100 High Street voucher has been extended until midnight Sunday 19 December, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has said.

By Wednesday afternoon, more than 99% of cards had been delivered, according to the Department for the Economy.

Mr Lyons said “there has been a delay” in dispatching some cards.

As the deadline for Northern Ireland’s Spend Local voucher scheme nears, thousands are still waiting for their card to be delivered.

However, as more than 1.4m people have applied for a voucher, the department’s spokesman said “approximately 10,000” cards were still to be received.

Mr Lyons said the deadline “was tight for some people” but he is “convinced we will get those extra cards out to people”.

“Some applicants submitted evidence late, some errors were made and some duplicate applications were made and those had to be verified before they were sent out,” he said.

He said £118m has been injected into the local economy since the scheme began.

He added the scheme has helped increase the number of shoppers in Northern Ireland to their highest point so far compared to pre-pandemic levels.