A charity has been fined around £500 for parking vehicles while feeding homeless people in Manchester city centre, sparking a debate online. Don't Walk Past was hosting a summer celebration in St Peter's Square on Friday, August 7, when it received parking fines from Manchester Council.
Event and fines
The outreach group, which feeds and clothes rough sleepers across Manchester year-round, had set up various food stations, free hair cuts, clothes, drinks, an ice cream bar and a free chiropodist station. A parking warden told them to move their cars and vans, but when they refused, they were issued fines.
The council defended its decision, saying the ten vehicles were parked in a 'clearly inappropriate' place and that 'however well-intentioned they may be there are strong accessibility and security considerations'.
Public reaction
The story has received mixed views online, with some branding it 'disgusting' and 'heartless' while others defended the local authority. Jake Cassar-Blamire said on Facebook: “I can see both sides. The group should seek a formal agreement with the council for permits. The spokesperson said so themselves.
“However, a certain level of common sense and discretion is needed by the parking attendant. Incentives and bonuses for the attendant was most likely their aim.”
Michael Browning added: “Sad because homeless people like myself relying on this support is vital for survival and those kind volunteers have spent their time to help those in need.”
Some, meanwhile, said the rules should be abided. Ant Byron posted: “They are very fortunate that traffic wardens have turned a blind eye for eight years, but that doesn’t excuse them from formally approaching the council for permission.”
Saheed Ahmed added: “Compassion and compliance are not opposites. The cause may be admirable but bringing 10 vehicles into a pedestrianised square without official permission was avoidable and good intentions do not make it acceptable.
Group and council statements
Founder Ronnie Hillyard says the financial blow of over £500 shocked the group, which has been offering similar help around the city for eight years without ever receiving a fine.
He said: "The council know that we do it three times a year because the council have been to visit us in the past. We're there for two hours and then we pack up, tidy up after ourselves and go.
"But this year we got a visit from two traffic wardens that we've never met before. They got their boss down who was a bit abrupt with us and then they ticketed all our cars.
"I said to the traffic warden, do you want to go and tell the more than 100 homeless people over there that we have to move?
"But we took the tickets on the chin and carried on. Our cars are all parked up with Don't Walk Past on the side and parking permits in the windscreens and the traffic wardens have seen those for eight years and walked straight past.
"Okay, they're not official parking permits but they are in a way because they've been letting us use the space for the past eight years."
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: "St Peter’s Square is a busy, pedestrianised public place where vehicles and parking are prohibited, unless in exceptional circumstances.
"Anyone observed by our enforcement officers parking on the square without permission will be ticketed, however well-intentioned they may be. There are strong accessibility and security considerations.
"In this case no fewer than 10 vehicles, including vans, were parked there without permission which is clearly inappropriate.
"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, such as help with any health, addiction or debt issues.
"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 places such as St Peter’s Square are unsuitable as a locations. We would be happy to work with Don’t Walk Past to help them better link into wider services and develop more suitable alternative arrangements."
