Manchester council has applied to the courts for a ‘possession order’ to dismantle the ‘red tent’ homeless camp outside the town hall.
The camp was established last March, initially as a protest, according to organisers. But the tents remained underneath the town hall arches for several weeks.
That was until council officers offered more than 50 camp ‘residents’ a place in temporary accommodation in an effort to discourage the camp’s spread. Shortly after, council and police officers sealed off the area under the arches and closed the camp down.
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More tents were erected next to the fences, which sealed off the first camp in October. Although they were moved on by authorities for Remembrance Sunday and New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations, the camp has become a fixture on St Peter’s Square.
That might not be the case for much longer. Manchester council has applied for a possession order ‘to bring the St Peter’s Square encampment to a close’.
An initial civil court hearing on Monday (January 13) did not resolve the matter and the case was adjourned.
It has now been confirmed a new hearing will take place on February 11. A Manchester council spokesperson said: “There has been a fluctuating number of tents in St Peter’s Square for several months now. This camp consists predominantly of people who are refugees and have been granted the right to remain.
“We want to stress in the strongest terms that help is at hand for any Manchester resident facing homelessness. The council’s homelessness service works alongside a fantastic network of voluntary and community sector organisations in the city to deliver support.
“But throughout this period we have been clear with those camping in the square and the wider public that this is not a safe, suitable or sanitary place from which to access this support.
“We have had a number of issues in keeping the area safe, secure and clean – as we saw in the run-up to Remembrance Weekend and New Year’s Eve events – and delivering services from the nearby town hall extension.
“During the time the tents have been in place we have tried various different approaches to address this issue, some of which have succeeded in significantly reducing the number of tents in the short term only for them to increase again. People in the camp were told they do not have permission to be there and asked to leave.
“However, with some still refusing to do so and other options having been exhausted, we have secured a court hearing seeking to bring the St Peter’s Square encampment to a close. We would reiterate that support is available for the people camping through established procedures.”
GM Law Centre, representing camp residents in the case, was contacted for comment.