£300k grant to sell fried chicken

A COUNCIL loaned £300,000 to a DJ so he could open a fried chicken shop – despite there being more than 30 already nearby.

Ben Rymer was awarded the sum to open Chicken Town in Tottenham, North London, in 2015 on the grounds it would be paid back once it makes £50,000 a year.

Rival outlets criticised the handout to the takeaway, a not-forprofit enterprise that offers

‘healthier versions’ of fried chicken. Haringey Council said it was simply ‘encouraging new businesses’.

But the TaxPayers’ Alliance said the loan was ‘grossly unfair’ on other firms who ‘go to the bank to get businesses off the ground’.