A group of people sleeping rough in Nottingham city centre say they won’t leave unless they’re all housed.
The activists have set up a tent camp near Nottingham Station, yards from Nottingham City Council’s offices at Loxley House.
People sleeping on the site say they want the authority to open up an empty building to let them stay in, or provide them with permanent accommodation.
But the council claims many of them are not legitimately homeless and should move on.
Around 19 tents are now pitched up on Station Street after the first few appeared on Christmas Eve.
The camp is being organised by Fightback Nottingham, a group with ties to the internet activist group Anonymous.
Group member Joe Robinson said Fightback had provided tents to a group of homeless people and was now helping to look after them.
“We decided the best option was to just give the people tents, they can do as they like with them,” he said.
“They chose to set up where they set up and decided to stay in a community for protection.”
One of the camp’s residents said: “I did sofa surf for a bit but it got too much, because where I was there were drugs and I had a history of drugs and I didn’t want to get back in to it, so I had to move on to the streets.”
In a statement the council said there was no need to open empty buildings as its last count showed its winter shelter has enough room.
The authority’s head of anti-social behaviour, Richard Antcliff, said: “We have been to the camp on a daily basis to offer accommodation to anyone who is homeless, but the offer has been declined.
“We believe most of the people there are not homeless or from Nottingham. However we will continue to visit daily and offer accommodation to anyone who is homeless.
“If they are not homeless but in fact protesters, then they should move on as they are obstructing the highway, preventing construction work continuing on Station Street, inconveniencing local shopkeepers.”
