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Village Votes to Leave UK Over Asylum Housing Plan
Confirmed
In Short: Residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, voted overwhelmingly to become an independent state in protest of plans to house asylum seekers at a nearby military base.
Villagers in Piddington, near Bicester, voted overwhelmingly to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum, with 285 out of 312 votes cast in favor of leaving. The referendum was organized by the local parish council in response to Home Office proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at the nearby MoD Bicester site.
The Home Office announced the plans in June as part of wider proposals to move migrants out of hotels. 'While we get a grip on the asylum chaos that we inherited, we do need to make sure that we live up to our obligations and house people coming to this country seeking safety,' a Home Office spokesperson said.
The 350 residents were invited to cast their ballot in a small box outside the village hall. 'It's the wrong site for the local communities, for the asylum seekers themselves, and for the taxpayer,' one resident said. A 'Principality of Piddington' sign has been placed on the village boundary, and villagers have even discussed creating ID cards for their new 'principality.
The vote has made the village think 'wow, our voice can be heard,' according to Tim Beader, Oxfordshire County Council leader. 'I haven't seen a press frenzy like that over a little village, it's quite extraordinary.' The symbolic vote has drawn attention to the local community's concerns about the proposed asylum center.
What's confirmed
- Villagers in Piddington, near Bicester, voted overwhelmingly to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum, with 285 out of 312 votes cast in favor of leaving. The referendum was organized by the local parish council in response to Home Office proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at the nearby MoD Bicester site.
- The Home Office announced the plans in June as part of wider proposals to move migrants out of hotels. 'While we get a grip on the asylum chaos that we inherited, we do need to make sure that we live up to our obligations and house people coming to this country seeking safety,' a Home Office spokesperson said.
- The 350 residents were invited to cast their ballot in a small box outside the village hall. 'It's the wrong site for the local communities, for the asylum seekers themselves, and for the taxpayer,' one resident said. A 'Principality of Piddington' sign has been placed on the village boundary, and villagers have even discussed creating ID cards for their new 'principality.
- The vote has made the village think 'wow, our voice can be heard,' according to Tim Beader, Oxfordshire County Council leader. 'I haven't seen a press frenzy like that over a little village, it's quite extraordinary.' The symbolic vote has drawn attention to the local community's concerns about the proposed asylum center.
What's still developing
- "We inherited an enormous asylum backlog, we are processing claims much more quickly, we are removing people who don't have the right to be here," she said.
- Known as "Site A", MoD Bicester is located between the villages of Piddington and Upper and Lower Arncott.
- In 2005 it was the target of similar plans for an asylum seekers accommodation centre, external, which were abandoned by the then-Labour government.
- Lawyers for the League of Women Voters and the Electronic Privacy Information Center on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to leave in place a ruling by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., that bars the federal government from using a centralized database to verify voters’ citizenship.
- Authorities have urged anyone who consumed liquor in the affected villages during the last 24–48 hours and subsequently developed symptoms to seek immediate medical evaluation.
- Preliminary investigation, according to reports, indicates that an alleged network may have been manufacturing counterfeit liquor in Lalitpur and supplying it at low prices to villages in Sagar and nearby areas.
- A suspected spurious liquor tragedy in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district has left several people dead and dozens hospitalised, triggering an extensive medical screening and police investigation in villages under Banda tehsil.
- The affected villages include Nauraj, Ghoogra Khurd, Baraj and Bamura Bheda.