Manchester City Council evicts homeless encampment in St Peter’s Square

Manchester City Council has evicted the homeless encampment in St Peter’s Square.

Around 7am on Wednesday (26th February) morning, council enforcement officers served eviction notices to the homeless living in tents under the town hall’s arches.

Over a dozen people were told they were trespassing on council land, and were asked to remove their belongings with immediate effect.

The MEN reported that interpreters were on hand to assist with translation, and that anything left behind was to be disposed of.

This action comes after a court ruling in early February saw the council win the right to evict the encampment from the area, after almost a year of occupation.

Council staff are said to have been at the scene distributing leaflets and plastic bags to those living in there.

The encampment initially sprung up last March as a form of protest, but turned into a more permanent place of living for some of the city’s homeless community.

It is also reported that a number of people were physically moved from their dwellings, and had their belongings removed.

Waste disposal trucks attended the scene to clear the last of the tents and belongings, and a number of people in passing stopped to protest the council’s action.

Rachel, a second year student, told The Manchester Tab: “It’s disheartening as a relatively new member of the city to see the council’s approach to unhoused people, who really don’t have any other option but to live on the streets. If I could I’d like to urge the council to treat unhoused people with a bit more respect because Manchester is still their home, more so perhaps than mine.”

Manchester ranks as the third highest in the country for people experiencing homelessness, as reported by the charity Shelter in 2023.

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Defending the decision, Manchester City Council released the following statement: “This brings to an end the encampment which has been in place there for several months, with fluctuating numbers, occupied by people who are refugees who have been granted the right to remain in the country.

“We have conducted homelessness assessments for people camping there and offered temporary accommodation to everyone who we owed a statutory duty – anyone classed as vulnerable and in priority need. Others on site who were not classed as vulnerable were still offered advice and support, including a personal housing plan, to help them secure accommodation for themselves.

“People were given the choice to pack up and take their tents with them. The only tents which were disposed of were ones which had been abandoned.

“We would reiterate 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.

“But as we have consistently stated, this informal camp in St Peter’s Square was not a safe, sanitary or suitable place from which to access support. Nor does camping in a public space accelerate their homelessness application or gain them any other advantage.

“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. The presence of the tents has also impacted on the day-to-day delivery of services from the town hall extension, including hindering evacuation in the event of an alarm.

“We’re glad the issue at this location has been addressed and would stress that help is available through established procedures for anyone who finds themselves facing homelessness.

“The possession order was specific to St Peter’s Square – and the issues there – to ensure it was reasonable and proportionate. While those specific issues have now been addressed, we remain clear that such encampments anywhere in the city are not in anyone’s best interests and are not a suitable place from which to access support.

“We will continue to engage with the people in the tents and monitor the situation.”

Manchester City Council was approached for comment but did not respond.

Featured image via Twitter