Public space by town hall ‘not safe, suitable or sanitary’ for refugees camping there
Manchester City Council were yesterday (Tuesday 11 February) granted a possession order to remove the tents that have been pitched on St Peters Square since last Spring.
The tents, occupied by refugees who have been granted leave to remain, but in established locations elsewhere, first sprang up as part of a protest before growing into a semi-permanent but fluctuating fixture next to the town hall extension and Central Library.
The near-constant presence of the tents in the public square has been the source of considerable public debate, especially around the Remembrance Weekend and New Year’s Eve events of last year.
Now the council has been granted permission to remove the tents following yesterday’s court ruling, where Greater Manchester Law Centre failed in its legal challenge to stop the enforced removal of the ‘red tent camp’.
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “We welcome the decision to grant us a possession order for St Peter’s Square to bring the encampment there to an end.
“For many months now there has been a fluctuating number of tents in this public space, occupied by people who are refugees who have been granted the right to remain in the country.
“We want to stress in the strongest possible terms that help is at hand for any Manchester resident facing homelessness. The Council’s homelessness service works hard alongside a fantastic network of voluntary and community sector organisations in the city to deliver that support.
“In the case of refugees, we have provided advice and support and helped many to help themselves out of homelessness over the last year.
“But throughout this period we have been clear with those camping in the square that this is not a safe, suitable or sanitary place from which to access this support. Nor does camping in a public space accelerate their homelessness application or gain them any other advantage.”
The spokesperson continued: “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.
“However, with many still refusing to leave despite being repeatedly asked to do so – and other options having been exhausted – securing this order was a necessary step.
“We would reiterate that support is available through established procedures for the people who have been camping in St Peter’s Square.”
The council said the timeframe for when the tents will be removed is to be confirmed.
Get the latest news to your inbox
Get the latest food & drink news and exclusive offers by email by signing up to our mailing list. This is one of the ways that Confidentials remains free to our readers and by signing up you help support our high quality, impartial and knowledgable writers. Thank you!
Join our WhatsApp group
You can also get regular updates on news, exclusives and offers by joining the Manchester Confidential WhatsApp group.
