Dale Vince, the owner of Gloucestershire energy giant Ecotricity, has dished out criticism of the firm's local authority over a scheme to ensure homeless people in the Cotswolds don't go hungry this winter.

Stroud-based Ecotricity partnered with Cirencester venture Food for Thought to deliver free food and drink to people from the town – but the ethical energy provider also served up criticism for Stroud District Council which it claimed had failed to support the initiative.

Food For Thought, established by Gerry Watkins, drew up a menu with Ecotricity that includes hot soup, tea or coffee for homeless people and individuals in need. The scheme began last Friday and will run from 7.30pm until 11.30pm from the car park of the former tax offices in Stroud, which sits directly opposite Ecotricity's Rowcroft HQ - the site having been bought by the company for a plan to convert into 18 homes. In addition to the food and drink, mental health support is also being offered.

But Dale Vince, Ecotricity's boss, said he had been "disappointed" over a lack of support from Stroud District Council and Shire Hall's highways department.

Mr Vince said: "I think it's a lovely initiative and was keen to help. Stroud, like many parts of our country, has homeless and other vulnerable people."

He added: "I was disappointed that Stroud District Council felt unable to find a place for Gerry's van; a town centre location would have made it far more accessible. You'd think a local council would support exactly this kind of project but I'm glad that we found a way to do so instead."

As a long-time advocate for people experiencing homelessness, Gerry Watkins has supported the community around Cirencester for more than 28 years through initiatives such as the Moonlight Eclipse Project and Food For Thought.

Before gaining Ecotricity's support, Gerry contacted Stroud District Council and the County Highways department, seeking a suitable place for his catering van. Ecotricity said it stepped in to help after "neither showed any interest in helping him" with the energy entrepreneur praising the idea as a "fantastic initiative".

However, in a statement to Punchline-Gloucester.com, SDC pushed back on any assertion that it had not been forthcoming - and said it had offered three potential locations for the mobile kitchen.

SDC said: "Three Stroud District Council-owned locations were offered to Food for Thought on 16 January. Unfortunately, we have not received confirmation or any other correspondence from Food for Thought in relation to this since then.

Feeding people in need was a council priority, they said, and the council worked closely with Stroud Town Council and the Network of Stroud Hubs to provide food pantries in community venues. It also cited Stroud District Food Bank and Stroud District Citizens Advice, which provides weekly food and advice sessions in the town's community venues.

They added: "It's really important that any food support for people who are homeless is given alongside essential advice on health, finance and housing. This is why our food support is done in partnership with others. We would be keen to engage with Food for Thought as part of the wider network of support available to people in Stroud."

The latest disagreement between Ecotricity and the local authority follows the reversal of a ruling that the company could not set up a temporary marquee on land at Junction 13 of the M5. The site is now earmarked for the fully approved Eco Parc, the future home of Forest Green Rovers, but Ecotricity -the majority owner of FGR - was told by planners in May last year that the temporary training structure, which sought to enable the team to train at the new facility without having to make a 15-mile return trip to facilities in Nailsworth, would be "unattractive" and jar with the rural setting. FGR, which is currently back in the National League but siting atop the rankings and unbeaten for 19 games, won its case on appeal last month

Posting on X at the time, Mr Vince said: "We've just won permission to put a tent up at our training ground - on appeal. OK, it's a marquee actually (a big tent) but what is going on with Stroud District Council planners? They need to take a good, long look at themselves and their decision-making - it's not just FGR that has suffered from ridiculous decisions, people across the district are frustrated, and progress is held back due to an often high-handed approach, divorced from the realities of life, in the name of 'conservation'. We need better."

● SDC has not commented on the appeal decision.