Passport to Piddington: Oxfordshire village to hold independence referendum over asylum seeker housing plans
Residents are angry at the proposal to turn a military base into a migrant camp
A village in Oxfordshire is threatening to declare independence from the UK over plans to house over 1,000 asylum seekers nearby.
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Residents of Piddington are angry about a lack of consultation over the single male adults being housed at a military base in Bicester, which could be open as soon as Christmas.
The village, which has 370 residents, has voted to hold a referendum after the Home Office announced the plans for the 1250 asylum seekers.
Held on July 4 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of American independence, 96% of the village said they wanted a referendum.
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Tim McNally, the chairman of Piddington parish council, said: “It’s about representation. We have had no input into the proposal".
"We have been asking questions, and nothing has come back. The shock of the information triggered people. I could have prepared them if I was given prior warning," he told the Telegraph.
Mr McNally, who has been working on a constitution, compared the plight of Piddington to that of the American revolutionaries in 1776.
“George Washington brought change about. I am going to make the change and then give away the power like he did,” he said.
The referendum would be symbolic as there is no legal mechanism allowing a village, town or city to declare independence from the UK. This could only happen if the Government and Parliament allowed it.
The Bicester Garrison is one of three military sites that could be turned into camps for up to 3750 asylum seekers. RAF Linton-on-Ouse and RAF Barnham have also voiced similar concerns.
The Home Office has also proposed the expansion of sites at Wethersfield in Essex and Crowborough in Sussex to house 1750 asylum seekers. It's hoped the measure will stop the use of hotels by the end of the current Parliament.
Mr McNally said they were worried about security and potential crime by housing asylum seekers nearby: “As a small village, a lot of people walk freely without any concern. There is no crime at the moment, but what happens if there is crime?”
Earlier this month, Jake Richards, a justice minister, said: "We made a promise to the British people that we would close these hotels, which have caused so much angst, so much anxiety, and so much pain across the country, and we will do that."
“Now, that might mean difficult decisions, but we will do as the Home Secretary has said, whatever it takes to close these hotels, get a grip of our borders, and fix the asylum system, and we will do that”.