Piddington
votes for independence from Britain: Residents approve symbolic measure
to leave the UK amid battle to stop new asylum camp that's four times
the size of their village
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'
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.
