Haringey’s £300k finger-licking funding of chicken restaurant criticised by Liberal Democrats

Haringey Liberal Democrats have attacked the local Labour-run Council following the decisions to award a chicken restaurant £300,000 in grants and loans and allow a listed building in Tottenham to be used for the new restaurant.

On Thursday evening Haringey’s Labour dominated Planning Committee gave permission to convert the listed Tottenham Town Hall Fire Station, into a ‘healthy’ chicken restaurant called Chicken Town. The two Liberal Democrat councillors on the committee voted against the proposals.

The Labour-run council have also awarded the Chicken Town project a grant for £90,000 coupled with a £210,000 loan from the Opportunity Investment Fund which is jointly funded by the council and the GLA.

The local Lib Dems have criticised the terms of the loan, which include the proviso that £50,000 net profit should be made before any of £210,000 the loan is repaid.
 
Cllr Bob Hare, Haringey Liberal Democrat regeneration spokesperson, comments:

“Labour should be using this money to help change Tottenham and provide a better future for residents. Another chicken outlet – even a healthier one– is not a game changer. Don’t forget the excellent and well-equipped training kitchens that were part of the sixth-form centre in Tottenham that were forced to close through lack of take-up.

“And why should one chicken outlet be the beneficiary of such public funding? The end result is unlikely to survive for long. We are also concerned that that this loan may not get repaid at all if the project is not profitable.

“This hollow project doesn’t stack up and exemplifies the poor judgement and misplaced priorities of the Labour-run council. Tottenham needs meaningful change. Sadly, this attempt is anything but meaningful and could see public money lost as well.”

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