Festival tent salvagers cannot donate to homeless

People who collect abandoned tents from the Leeds Festival site this year will no longer be able to donate them to homeless people.

Leeds City Council has approved a number of applications from charities who plan to remove unwanted camping equipment, but refused permission for salvagers with a "stated aim" of giving tents to rough sleepers.

The council said it wanted to "support people into accommodation" rather than helping them to continue sleeping on the streets.

Hundreds of tents were left at the festival site at Bramham Park following the 2023 event.

Every year volunteers taking part in the clean-up collect items including sleeping bags, unused food and clothing.

Organisations which receive the donated goods include food banks and charities that work with refugees in conflict zones.

The Doing Good Leeds website, which is managed by Voluntary Action Leeds, said it aimed to recruit 150 volunteers to salvage £200,000 worth of items after the festival this Bank Holiday weekend.

It suggested that community charity St Luke's Cares, fridge and pantry Yum in Armley and household goods rental service Library of Things would benefit from the collection efforts, while some items would be upcycled.

Leeds homeless charity Simon on the Streets told followers on X: "We never give out tents. Simply put, the work we do and the support we offer is to help people off the streets and into safe accommodation.

"A tent is sadly not safe accommodation and also brings many challenges."

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said they were committed to supporting vulnerable people who rough sleep across the city, "many of whom have multiple and complex needs" and had extensive support in place.

"While we understand and appreciate the good intent in reusing tents and sleeping bags left at festivals for the homeless, our strong desire is to support people into accommodation routes so they can access the services and support they need.

"This also reduces the additional risk that rough sleeping can bring, of people being targeted or exploited by individuals with criminal intent."

The event organisers, Festival Republic, said in a statement: "We put together a salvage operation after the festival for organisations to collect some of the perfectly reusable camping equipment that is left behind, therefore reducing the amount of waste.

"This is an opportunity for charities and community groups to come to the festival site on the Monday after the show and help save what they can."

It added that ticket-holders could leave broken tents, chairs and gazebos at the site's recycling points.

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