ISLINGTON Council is taking a food bank to court for “trespassing” on the Highbury site from which it has operated for the past decade.

Islington Foodbank has fed more than 46,000 people in the past 10 years from its home at the Highbury Roundhouse community centre and more than 5,000 food parcels were handed out in the past year alone.

But the charity is now facing a day in court for refusing to sign a licence that would allow the council to evict it with a month’s notice. The stalemate is centred on a piece of land on the site, where the twice-weekly food bank has a shipping con­tainer and portable cabin that have been used by volunteers to store and prepare parcels.

Former Mayor of Islington and Labour councillor Theresa Debono, who is a trustee at the food bank, said: “About three years ago the council said they wanted that bit of land back, but we had nowhere to go. They said they would give us a licence for one year and we were promised they would look for something for us to move into but that has never, ever materialised.”

Clients collect their parcels from the Highbury Roundhouse itself, but there isn’t enough space there for storage and preparation, meaning the charity could not continue to operate without the adjacent shipping container and portable cabin.

When the food bank opened in 2015, Ms Debono said she received written agreement from the council and Highbury Roundhouse trustees that they were allowed to operate – “it’s not like they didn’t know we were there,” she said.

But in August 2022, Islington Council tried to formalise the arrangement by asking the food bank to sign a one-year licence which includes the one-month eviction clause.

The two organisations have been at loggerheads since then, and the food bank received word last weekend that it was expected in court on July 1 for “trespassing” on council land.

The council intends to redevelop the land but it cannot build there because there is a railway line underneath.

“It has never been used for anything so we’re not really taking away anything from the council,” Ms Debono added.

“They’re probably thinking it will be an eyesore to have a container there but they are not likely to be building for years and years.

“The likelihood that they will start building is zilch, frankly.”

Councillor Benali Hamdache, leader of the Greens, said: “It seems hugely disproportionate that we’ve ended up with legal action being taken.

“We’d urge the council and the food bank to start a dialogue again.”

According to Islington Foodbank, 95 per cent of its clients are referred to them by Islington Council, although “we’ve never had a penny from them”, said Ms Debono.

She added: “I just can’t understand if we come out of there, where will these people go? Who will feed them?

“I’ve written to the chief executive, I’ve written to Una O’Halloran [council leader]. They didn’t respond. They know me very well – all they had to do was pick up the phone and talk to me, but they don’t want to know.

“It’s really sad that the council keeps saying how good they are towards the local community and yet they’re not helping us to continue our business.

“More people are visiting our services than ever before – the council knows the need is there, so why are they not supporting us? Instead of hindering us and taking us to court?

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We’re committed to supporting groups like Islington Foodbank, and the work that they do to support the most vulnerable people in our borough. We have therefore worked with the Highbury Roundhouse Association to give the food bank a home in the Association’s new community centre.

“The food bank requested additional storage and parking, and we have offered it a licence to use neighbouring land for an initial period of a year, and on a six-month rolling basis. It’s really important that a licensing agreement is in place for the use of this land to protect both parties, and the council has been discussing this with Islington Foodbank since August 2022. The land may eventually be needed for other purposes over the longer term, but meanwhile we’ve been as flexible as we can.”