Following a long battle against Manchester City Council, the protesters of Manchester City Centre homeless camp are presented with a glimpse of hope as a court has accused the council of “serious failures to comply with the rules” following two applications being made against the homeless campers.
The homeless protestors were on the brink of facing eviction in August 2015 after being refused legal aid, making it difficult for the protestors to appeal the eviction decision which was granted in July 2015.
Manchester City Council claim that the homeless protestors are in breach of an injunction which was granted in July 2015 that bans sleeping in tents in the city centre. The council believe that the Manchester protestors are in breach of the city’s homeless policy which was published in 2011. In an argument against such allegations, the protestors state that they would rather be in tents than “on park benches or in shop doorways”. The Council are believed to be in a situation of mishandling people who are “genuinely homeless” as Protestor Wesley Dove claims that “the city centre is where they [homeless individuals] feel safe”
The hopeful protestors aim to highlight the ongoing shortage of temporary accommodation available within Manchester and across the country. The decision by His Honour Judge Gore QC to dismiss the council’s applications for reasons of ‘procedural irregularities’ was welcomed by defence solicitors where three defence teams were instructed on the case.
The protestors remain at Manchester City Centre.