By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER
JUAN PARDO NAVARRO
Residents
of a tiny Oxfordshire village have voted overwhelmingly to declare
independence from Britain in a symbolic referendum staged in protest at
plans to house more than 1,200 asylum seekers at a former military base
nearby.
Piddington's parish council
announced the result at 7am today after villagers went to the polls
yesterday to decide whether their community should 'secede' from the UK.
Some
312 votes were counted, making up 92 per cent of the ballot papers
issued - with 285 voting 'yes' and 26 voting 'no'. One spoiled paper was
also recorded.
The vote has no legal
force and will not take Piddington out of the UK, but campaigners hope
the gesture will send a message to Westminster over the proposed asylum
accommodation at the former Ministry of Defence site at Bicester.
The
result was announced by a returning officer to an audience of dozens of
journalists and residents gathered outside Piddington village hall this
morning.
Parish council chairman Tim
McNally said today that it was an 'incredible day', adding: 'Yesterday
was the anniversary of the Battle of Britain and for us it was the
Battle for Britain. We'd been identified as Ground Zero for a whole
number of issues.'
He spoke in front of
a pennant reading 'Battle for Britain 2026' outside the village hall,
alongside another marking the date of the Battle of Britain - September
15, 1940.
Addressing politicians
including Prime Minister Andy Burnham, he added: 'This is an example of
democracy in action. This is an example of a mandate of behaviour.'
Mr
McNally continued: 'I didn't realise what I was opening up and getting
involved in. I just thought we were going to be opposing a plan. A plan
that would have an impact on our village, that could turn our village
upside down in a way not quite envisaged before.'
He
described residents as 'underdogs' with a 'plucky idea', but said: 'We
have given an absolute message, not just to the region, not just to the
country but to the world.'
However,
following the vote Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the burden of
hosting asylum accommodation should not just fall on 'poorer
communities'.
The Oxfordshire village of Piddington celebrates voting in favour of independence today
Local residents pose with a 'Principality of Piddington' sign in the Oxfordshire village today
Parish council chairman Tim McNally told residents today that it was an 'incredible day'
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The Oxfordshire village of Piddington celebrates voting in favour of independence today
Returning officer Susannah Parden announces the result of the symbolic 'referendum'
Local residents at Piddington village hall after they voted to become an independent state
'We're speeding up the processing of claims, and in the meantime, we don't
think it's acceptable for all of the burden of shouldering not just
asylum accommodation, but also many other forms of temporary
accommodation, to fall on poorer communities.
'That's
what we saw under the previous government. Because accommodation is
cheap in many, not just towns, but in particular postcode areas, people
who live in more deprived communities have had to put up with almost …
every other house in some instances… turned into HMOs, and that is not
OK.'
Meanwhile the leader of
Oxfordshire County Council has said housing asylum seekers at the site
near Piddington would be 'a lightning rod to the far right'.
Liberal
Democrat councillor Tim Bearder told the BBC's Today programme:
'Wasting money of 10s of millions of pounds on a completely unsuitable
site is bad for the taxpayers, it's bad for the asylum seekers, because a
site like this will be a lightning rod – it will be dangerous.
'I
know the Government want to look tough on immigration, they want to put
them behind tall fences – partly perhaps for their own protection – but
actually I think it will be dangerous because this site will be a
lightning rod to the far right, who will come here, will protest, potentially attack these individuals.'
There would also be 'tension' among the asylum seekers living in the site 'which has never housed anybody', he added.
'There's
no water, there's no electricity to this site, the road outside is
dangerous – two people have died in the last three years on that site,
which has no footpath.'
The referendum
shows the strength of feeling about both the proposal and how Government
has handled it 'without engaging local people and looking at the
feasibility of this site', Mr Bearder also told the programme.
Piddington parish councillor Joe Marshall
suggested the village could go as far as electing leaders for the new
'principality' and issuing identity cards, after residents voted for
independence in a symbolic referendum.
When
asked how far the village is prepared to take its 'independence' claim,
Mr Marshall explained that it will come down to how much the Government
is willing to engage with them.
Mr
Marshall said: 'The renaming of the village is one of the things. We'll
probably go through and elect some leaders and all that kind of thing to
really hammer it home.
'I've mentioned to people before about the Principality of
Sealand, which is out off the coast of Norwich somewhere, and they have
it where they've got their own national teams and they've got their own
stamp and their own symbolic citizenship card and things like that.
'We
can really play with it, but I think what we would do more than
anything is encourage other areas that don't support what's going on in
their areas to push for similar things.'
The result comes as the Government's planning application for the site remains under consideration.
The Home Office is seeking permission for the temporary use of the former Bicester Garrison,
including new modular accommodation, health and welfare facilities,
roads, security infrastructure and recreational areas, to accommodate up
to 1,256 people.
The proposed site is
now the subject of a formal consultation, with representations due by
tomorrow. But the proposed number of asylum seekers would be more than
three times the size of Piddington's population, which is around 350
people.
The scale of the plans prompted
the campaign, with residents arguing infrastructure and the local road
network are not equipped to deal with the proposed development.
Pensioner Herbert Owen, known locally as Herbie, described the referendum as the 'Battle of Britain' after casting his vote.
The
76-year-old said: 'It means everything our grandparents, our parents
fought for – today is the Battle of Britain. This isn't just about
Piddington, this is about our whole country. This Government is
destabilising our country.
'Wherever
they put these people, in camps, in HMOs (houses in multiple
occupation), or whatever, they're ruining people's lives.'
Mr Owen said Piddington was a 'wonderful little village' and that it had changed little since he moved there 33 years ago.
The referendum follows an earlier vote in July in which 96 per cent of those who took part backed holding an independence referendum.
The date of that vote, July 4, was deliberately chosen because it is associated with the American Declaration of Independence.
Residents have since stepped up their campaign against the asylum plans.
Last week, 133 women from Piddington wrote to female MPs warning that their lives could be transformed if the plans went ahead.
The letter said: 'life as we know it will be destroyed' if the plans succeed.
'We will not feel safe walking our streets. We are already living in fear,' they wrote.
More than 20 women have also reportedly signed up for self-defence classes after residents said they had been advised by police to take precautions.
A Piddington resident celebrates the vote at the village hall this morning
An aerial view of Piddington today after villagers voted to become an independent state
Residents attend a parish council meeting in the village hall in Piddington yesterday
Piddington's women campaigned against plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers in their village
Melise Witkin, 59, said: 'This
is not about being rich or poor, this is about safety. People have
worked really hard throughout their lives to live in this village.
'It is not such a rich or poor village. I just don't think that is a conversation to be had. This is about safety.
'We
are 356 people in the village with 46 children and 1,250 men turning up
is a recipe for disaster. People walk their dogs, children play, I just
think it is madness.
'This is about
safety, nothing more. Even for them [the asylum seekers], along that
road there is no pavement, there are no street lights. We just have to
be realistic.'
The road access has been a particular concern.
Parish
councillor Mike Nixon said the proposed site has no pedestrian access
areas and that the Government had suggested asylum seekers could be
given high-visibility jackets while walking along a busy road.
He said: 'The nearest path is about a mile and a quarter away, down a very busy road that's unlit.'
The Government's own travel plan describes pedestrian access as 'limited' and says travelling on foot is 'not recommended'. It adds that cycling and public transport options may be provided.
The
Government has stressed that the former military site would be designed
to be largely self-contained to minimise its impact on the surrounding
community.
A Home Office spokesman said
the Government is working to 'fairly house asylum seekers' across the
country as it closes asylum hotels.
'As
part of the process, we engage with local authorities and police forces
to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area,'
the spokesman added.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the Government was 'working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country'.
A protest sign pictured outside the Bicester Ministry of Defence site in Oxfordshire
A protest sign is seen (bottom right) outside Bicester military camp this week
They
said the government was 'engaging with local authorities to reduce the
impact on communities and we've saved taxpayers more than £1bn on asylum
support costs since the election'.
'The
Home Office has submitted an application to obtain planning permission
to use the Bicester site for asylum accommodation, but it remains the
case that no final decision has been taken on the site's future use,'
the spokesman added.
The Home Office first announced the Bicester proposal in June as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on asylum hotels and move people into alternative accommodation.
The current planning application is for up to 1,256 people and says the proposed use would be temporary.
The
Home Office has stressed that submitting the application does not mean a
final decision has been taken, with the proposal still subject to
planning, due diligence and other approvals.
The referendum has nevertheless attracted national political attention.
Reform
UK leader Nigel Farage has said he would support other communities
seeking to hold similar symbolic votes, while Reform MP Rupert Lowe told
reporters outside Piddington village hall that the referendum should be
'lauded'.
He said: 'I think if we're going to stop this, the people have to rise up and say they've had enough, and they're not going to put up with this.'
Former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman also visited the village before the vote.
She
said: 'This will dramatically transform the character of the village.
These are the wrong plans for this village, and you know only harm and
damage will come from it.
'I applaud
the efforts of these women to make their voices heard. They've spoken
very powerfully, and they are the reason I'm here. I stand with them.'
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp
also visited residents and said: 'The mothers and grandmothers of
Piddington are clearly terrified for the safety of their daughters and
granddaughters, because we know young male illegal immigrants are
disproportionately likely to commit sex offences and rape.
'Being
here underlines how important it is to kick out this Labour Government
and leave the ECHR, which would enable us to deport illegal immigrants
upon arrival, instead of imposing them on places like Piddington.'
The Government has not yet made a final decision on the future of the Bicester site.
And despite Piddington's symbolic declaration of independence, the village remains legally part of the United Kingdom.
For
residents, however, the vote was intended to demonstrate the strength
of feeling over a development which they say would fundamentally alter
their community.
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