English village votes to 'secede' from UK over asylum centre plan
LONDON: An English village of around 350 people announced Wednesday that a vast majority of residents had voted yes in an “independence referendum” staged to protest plans to house over 1,200 migrants in a nearby facility.
On Wednesday, the village of Piddington, home to approximately 350 residents, made headlines by voting in an independence referendum to secede from the United Kingdom. The decision came after plans were announced to house over 1,200 asylum seekers in a nearby disused military facility. With 312 ballots counted, 285 residents voted in favor of secession, with the remaining ballots yet to be tallied.
The vote, which had no legal standing, was carried out by the village's parish council, led by Tim McNally. McNally expressed concerns about the village's ability to assimilate a large number of male asylum seekers, stating, "For us, it's about proportionality – how does a small village of 350 odd people assimilate with 1,250 males?"
Oxfordshire County Council leader Tim Bearder warned that the proposed asylum centre could become a target for far-right protests and potential attacks on asylum seekers. However, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the decision, stating that a former military base would be a more appropriate location for housing asylum seekers compared to hotels or rented accommodation.
The referendum was reminiscent of the 1949 British comedy film "Passport to Pimlico," in which a small group of Londoners declare independence and are exempt from post-war rationing and other bureaucratic restrictions. Piddington resident Herbert Owen expressed frustration with the government's handling of the situation, saying, "We have a village hall, a 12th-century church and a playing field – and that's it.
It's a takeover of our village, it's four times the people of this village. They are going to want to get out and about and that raises serious issues."
Another villager, Ian Darby, questioned how the migrants would spend their time, adding, "It is a takeover of our village, it's four times the people of this village. They are going to want to get out and about (locally) and that raises serious issues."
One of the younger residents, 17-year-old part-time stablehand Dita Jackson, shared her concerns about safety, stating, "I won't really feel safe enough to walk around anymore." The proposed centre is intended to house single adult male asylum seekers for at least ten years, with the government emphasizing the safety and security of all parties involved.
The centre-left Labour Party, currently in power, has pledged to phase out the use of hotels for migrant accommodation by the end of the current parliament in 2029 and transition to using former military bases instead.
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