Manchester Street Treats homeless kitchen faces parking ticket threats

Two officers told the group to move their cars, took photos and even said the volunteers were a terrorist threat

A group who were told they cannot park in a city centre spot they have used for eight years to feed the homeless said they have been threatened with parking tickets while handing out food.

Street Treats has served about 100 people in Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens every Thursday since 2015.

In February, the volunteers were denied a permit to park next to the street kitchen, which they said was essential.

Manchester City Council said it could not make exceptions to parking rules.

The group serve meals using food which has been donated by bakeries and supermarkets and homemade dishes such as shepherd's pie, chilli con carne and macaroni cheese.

They use five cars to deliver the food and park next to the Queen Victoria statue in Piccadilly Gardens.

'No-one's complained'

The group said they accepted the parking was against the rules, but believed they should be give a special exemption, as it was only for two hours between 19:00 and 21:00 on a Thursday.

Group founder Daryl Politt said their endeavours were motivated by "kindness", adding: "We're not doing it for profit."

"We have asked for parking permits from Manchester City Council, but we've been refused," she said.

Volunteer Vinny Breeze said they needed "the vehicles or we couldn't work".

"We can't carry the food across town," he said.

"We don't get in anyone's way and no-one's complained.

"If we couldn't park here, we couldn't survive".

Kieran Nuttall, who has used the service while sofa-surfing, said the food was "a lifeline".

"It means I don't have to beg," he said.

"Street Treats do everything for the homeless in Manchester."

Fellow service user Andre Amos said it was often the only meal he had on a Thursday.

"Without this food, I'd have been starving," he said.

'Consistently clear'

The BBC witnessed two police officers speaking to the volunteers on 22 June.

The officers told them to move their cars, took photographs and even said the volunteers were a terrorist threat.

However, no parking tickets were issued.

Greater Manchester Police have been approached for comment.

Manchester City Council said Piccadilly Gardens was a busy public space and "we are not in a position to make exceptions to parking rules, however well-intentioned those wanting us to do so are".

"We encourage all street kitchens to link in with homelessness services which can provide wider and long-term support for the underlying issues which the people accessing their food are facing," a representative said.

"We all want the same thing - to help people out of the situations which mean they need to access street kitchens in the first place.

"We have been consistently clear that indoor settings provide a quieter and more sheltered environment for such support - and that Piccadilly Gardens is completely unsuitable as a location."

They added the council would be "happy to work with Street Treats to help them better link into wider services and find suitable alternative arrangements, including for parking".