Police were called to a protest outside Glasgow City Chambers after councillors complained they couldn’t hear one another during a meeting.

While Glasgow City Council was holding its full council meeting in the main chamber, Homeless Project Scotland was outside holding a demonstration calling on the council to provide it with a building to run its service indoors.

The group set up a soup kitchen, for the second time in six weeks, outside to highlight its case.

It also set up a speaker, powered by a generator, and was playing loud music including Christmas songs.

The songs could be heard in the chamber which looks onto George Square.

After several councillors said they were unable to hear the speakers, the Lord Provost, Jacqueline McLaren, told the meeting the police had been called.

Two police officers turned up around two hours after the meeting started and spoke briefly to Colin McInnes, chair of the charity.

Mr McInnes said the police asked him if he would turn down the volume.

Mr McInnes said: “It is ridiculous that the council called the police. Not happy with trying to take food out of the mouths of hungry people by leaving them out in the cold they try to shut down our protest and silence us.”

He said he told them he would turn it down but they would continue to play music.

A council spokesperson said: “We asked the police to ask for the music to be turned down. 

"We did this after a member in the council chamber indicated they could not properly hear those who were speaking.

“As we understand it the music was turned down when the police were there and turned up again afterwards.”

Mr McInnes said he has been asking the council for help for the last eight-and-a-half months.

He added: “The council could have sorted this before now."

The charity and the council have been corresponding over the request for a building.

Before the meeting, councillor Allan Casey, convenor for homeless services, came out from the City Chambers to speak to Mr McInnes.

Glasgow City Council has offered the use of a building in Cadogan Square but the charity said it was not suitable.

It also offered the use of the St Francis Centre in Gorbals, which was also declined.

The council has said it is supportive of the charity’s search for suitable premises but said it has been making contradictory statements about what its requirements are.

The council has said the charity changed its requirements to ask for a building to operate 24-hours-a-day with a capacity for 200 people, which it said it cannot help provide.

Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.