Croydon Council has been slammed for its treatment of a homeless charity that runs a soup kitchen over an apparent threat of legal action that would stop it being able to run its vital service in a public garden.

Nightwatch has been providing help and food to homeless people in the borough for years, with a soup kitchen run from the west end of Queen’s Gardens.

In an email to Nightwatch on September 23, sent by a council employee, the charity is warned it needs to relocate its operation because of ongoing antisocial behaviour, littering and ‘public health matters’, alleging that people visiting the kitchen were defecating on the pavements and roads around Bernard Weatherill House, the building accommodating many of Croydon Council’s staff and services where the kitchen often moves to for shelter in heavy rain.

The email warned that the next steps would be to ‘for the council to seek a court injunction prohibiting you from operating in and around Queen’s Gardens’.

It’s sparked fury from opposition parties on Croydon Council, demanding assurances that no legal action is being taken, and for the council to reaffirm its support for the charity.

Nightwatch also says it has offered to build its own shelter from the rain in Queen’s Gardens so it doesn’t need to relocate to Bernard Weatherill House when the weather turns.

Nightwatch’s Chair Jad Adams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We expect better treatment from the administration than this. What we’re proposing is that we should get some shelter, which we will pay for and will be in accordance with the council’s requirements.

“Additionally the council will get us to move away from the public area of Bernard Weatherill House, even in wet weather.

"This is the only time we’re currently there. This shouldn’t be impossible to manage, all we have wanted is a dialogue about this situation. We don’t want to get into a standoff.”

The charity claims it has had no meaningful response from the council about building the shelter.

In a letter to Mayor Jason Perry, published on Monday (September 30), Croydon Labour, Greens and Lib Dems have demanded the council support Nightwatch in their effort to improve their soup kitchen operation, rather than behaving in what they claim is a hostile manner.

The legal threat was raised by the Labour opposition leader, Stuart King, during the council’s cabinet meeting last Wednesday (September 25).

Following a discussion on the administration’s investment plans, which it hopes will ‘unlock Croydon’s potential’, Cllr King asked Cllr Perry to reaffirm his support for the charity in light of recent events.

Cllr King said: “Is the council’s recent threat of court action against Nightwatch part of the Mayor’s plan to unlock Croydon’s potential and if so, can I suggest an alternative to threats of legal action?

“This would be for the council to engage with Nightwatch in a respectful and timely manner so they can continue to serve some of Croydon’s most vulnerable people and our town can present itself to potential investors as, amongst other things, a place of compassion that respects everyone.”

In his response, Mayor Perry failed to acknowledge the legal issue or distance himself from the council worker’s comments.

Instead, he took to criticising the former Labour administration’s record and speaking of his council’s plans to improve the town centre.

While Mr Adams has said Deputy Mayor Lynne Hale has been ‘helpful’ and communicates with the charity often, they have yet to receive an official statement of support from the council.

This has drawn widespread criticism from the council’s opposition, some of whom regularly volunteer with Nightwatch.

On X, Waddon Labour councillor Rowenna Davis criticised Cllr Perry’s actions, saying: “All Nightwatch wants is a shelter so that their volunteers don’t get rained on. This Mayor is leaving Nightwatch out in the rain.”

She added: “It’s an absolute disgrace. It’s not Nightwatch that needs to go, it’s Mayor Perry.”

In the cross-party letter sent to the council, councillors called for Cllr Perry to once again throw his support behind the charity.

They also asked for clarity on the court issue, and confirmation that the council had no plans to pursue legal proceedings with public money.

The letter states: “Nightwatch has been asking for a dialogue with the council about a permanent shelter with lighting for the charity to operate from, which they would fund themselves.

"Despite their service, we are concerned about the council’s interactions with this charity, which they say have included repeated failures to reply, confusion and legal threats. This is a shocking way to treat one of Croydon’s most highly regarded charities, which has also been adopted as the official charity of the Civic Mayor.”

The letter added that, during the redevelopment of the park and Taberner House, both landscapers and developers ‘assured Nightwatch that their volunteers could continue to help feed and support their clients at Queen’s Gardens, as they have done every night for years’.

It added: “We know that Croydon has seen a frightening increase in homelessness, and people from all parties and none are conscious of the huge human cost that brings to people as well as the financial cost to the council.”

The letter has not been signed by any of Croydon’s 33 Conservative councillors. The council has told the LDRS that it has no plans to take legal action.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise the compassionate work Nightwatch do in providing food to those in need, but we have to make sure The Queen’s Gardens are clean and safe for children, residents and businesses, and for those whom Nightwatch is feeding.

"Unfortunately, we have had to contact Nightwatch on several occasions about litter, antisocial behaviour and risks to public health during and after food-serving sessions.

“Homelessness and rough sleeping are growing, complex problems, and we need to find long term solutions that help people off the street and into accommodation, with support from services such as health and drug and alcohol misuse. That is why we have been working with a range of local organisations and national bodies to develop a new approach.

“Following the adoption of our new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-2029, we recently invited Nightwatch and others to be local partners on a new strategic partnership board focused on joint working to address homelessness in Croydon.

"We await Nightwatch’s response and we very much hope they will join the conversation.”