Labour council gives £300,000 to a hipster to open a chicken shop… surrounded by 34 struggling fast-food restaurants
Chicken Town owner and failed DJ Ben Rymer has been accused of not doing enough to pay back the generous loan he received from Harringay council
A DAFT council loaned £300,000 of taxpayer cash to a DJ and his pals to open a fried chicken outlet near more than 30 others.
Rival takeaways are calling for a probe after Haringey Council awarded Ben Rymer and his hipster mates £210,000 plus a £90,000 top-up.
They opened Chicken Town in 2015 in an old fire station in Tottenham, North London, despite 34 fast-food outlets situated within a mile.
The Labour council’s loan is repayable once it makes £50,000 a year after tax. But its rivals, most of which also sell chicken, say it is not doing enough to make that — as it is shut on Sundays and Mondays, and is not open for lunch on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays.
Mr Rymer, an ex-rave DJ, apparently no longer works there, with his most recent online post saying he spends “most of his time surfing” in the Philippines.
Solaiman Hekmat, 40, who owns nearby Chicks Chicken and Pizza, called the payment “unbelievable”.
He said: “I hope the council look into it — and whether the shop is doing what it should to pay it back.”
Sinan Hudaverdi, 42, who serves chicken at nearby Cafe LA City, said: “I’ve been here 17 years and not had any help.” Another owner added: “Because they’ve got all this money, they do as they like.”
John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Dishing out loans on extremely favourable terms to hipsters is grossly unfair on other restaurant owners who go to the bank to get businesses off the ground.”
A Haringey Council spokeswoman said: “We are committed to encouraging new businesses.” Chicken Town was approached for comment.
- BRITS spend an average of £78 a month on takeaways, with the highest spend in London — at £107, according to online firm Deliveroo
