Organisers of a mobile soup kitchen threatened with eviction have agreed to leave their current site - on the condition they are allowed to set up home in the council's own back yard at the town hall instead.

The Christian Kitchen group has served hot meals to the borough's homeless and destitute at Mission Grove car park in Walthamstow every night for the past 20 years.

But earlier this year Waltham Forest Council ordered the group to leave Walthamstow, saying the soup kitchen was attracting anti-social behaviour and crime, a claim organisers strongly deny.

The council has proposed that Christian Kitchen move to a lay-by next to the Chingford Holiday Inn because it is in a non-residential area.

But Christian Kitchen has refused on the grounds that the site is isolated, poorly lit and difficult for people in Walthamstow to reach.

In an attempt to resolve the crisis organisers have now suggested being allowed to set up home in one of the car parks at the Waltham Forest Town Hall complex in Forest Road, Walthamstow.

Organisers say the site would be a good compromise as it is non-residential and covered by extensive lighting, CCTV and other security measures, addressing many of the issues raised by the council.

The council has so far failed to respond to the offer.

Soup kitchen volunteer Jennifer Ford said: "The town hall is a central location that is well served by public transport and some distance from the sensitive Walthamstow Central/market area.

"It would also be a more desirable location for vulnerable people, including those with a disability and women.

"It would also make us more visible to elected members, who could view the reality of our work and how it fits in within the council’s service provision to those living in destitution."

Christian Kitchen is still considering legal action over the proposed eviction, which is due this week, but the council says it is confident it has acted lawfully.

Waltham Forest police have been unable to provide statistics on crimes allegedly linked to the soup kitchen and a Freedom of Information request has revealed the council has not received any direct complaints about the soup kitchen in the past 12 months.

Christian Kitchen believes the council has an ulterior motive of wanting to "sanitise" Walthamstow town centre ahead of a series of new housing developments, a claim it denies.

The Guardian is awaiting a comment from the council.