Residents of the small English village of Piddington are participating in a symbolic independence referendum, a move organized by the local parish council to protest government plans to house asylum seekers at a nearby former Ministry of Defence (MoD) site.
The vote, which has no legal standing but echoes the Ealing comedy 'Passport to Pimlico,' asks residents whether they support Piddington "seeking to secede from the United Kingdom and pursuing self-determination." Polling stations were open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM BST.
The Home Office has proposed housing up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at MoD Bicester, located approximately half a mile from Piddington. This proposal is currently undergoing a public consultation. The development had previously been fast-tracked using an Urgent Crown Development application due to its "national importance."
Tim McNally, chair of Piddington Parish Council, expressed frustration with the government's engagement on the issue, stating that they have "played every possible trick in the book to avoid engagement." He argued that the scale of the proposed housing is disproportionate to the village.
One villager, speaking outside the polling station, described the referendum as a "powerful message to the government that we're being ignored and disenfranchised." Another voter, Herbert Owen, called the referendum the "Battle of Britain," linking it to the sacrifices of past generations. His wife, Jennifer Owen, acknowledged the vote's symbolic nature but hoped it would bring the issues "out in the open more for the country as a whole," adding that the proposals would "change our lives forever."
The MoD Bicester site has been a subject of similar controversy before. In 2005, the Labour government abandoned plans for an asylum seekers' accommodation centre at the same location.
Planning documents released by the Home Office indicate that the MoD Bicester development aims to be largely self-contained, with residents having access to on-site facilities to minimize the need for travel. Shuttle buses and public transport options are also planned for access to nearby areas.
The outcome of the referendum is expected to be announced on Wednesday morning. The government's broader efforts to manage asylum seeker accommodation include plans to cease the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers by 2029, with a significant portion of asylum seekers currently residing in hotels across the south of England.