A small Oxfordshire village has voted to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum.
The vote took place in protest against the government’s plans to house asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.
Under the proposal, MoD Bicester could be converted to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers.
The village, home to around 400 people near Bicester and which has no shops, cafes or pubs, cast their ballots in the unofficial referendum on Tuesday.
But can this tiny village actually leave the UK in protest and will the migrant plans still be able to go ahead?
Why did they stage a referendum?
On 4 July, 96 per cent of Piddington voters backed holding an unofficial independence referendum.
It came after the Home Office announced plans in June to move asylum seekers out of hotels and turned their attention to MoD Bicester.
In 2005, MoD Bicester was the target of similar plans to accommodate asylum seekers, but this was abandoned by the then-Labour government.
When this year’s plans were announced they were met with criticism from the district council and human rights groups.
Chair of Piddington Parish Council Tim McNally said he was concerned over “security”.
Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, was also against the plans and said the process did not guarantee public participation.
Because there is no legal way of allowing a village, town or city to declare independence, the vote was only symbolic and done in an attempt to make the voices of the village heard.
What was the result and what does it mean?
The village voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from the UK.
Some 285 villagers backed “independence”, with a turnout of nearly 92 per cent.
Only 26 residents voted against the motion, with one spoiled ballot recorded.
However the vote has no legal standing and is merely a protest against the plans.
A sign reading the village’s unofficial new name was displayed outside the hall after the vote, while a campaign song created by the village played in the background, with the lyrics: “It’s the battle for Britain, and Britain roars.”
Piddington parish chairman Tim McNally said the vote was about “hope” for residents.
He said at the vote on Tuesday: “Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and for us, it was the battle for Britain.”
What happens next?
The independence vote will not officially allow villagers to leave the UK as it is not legally binding.
But villagers have taken steps by planning to install a network of wireless CCTV cameras and security patrols as a result of their safety concerns.
Will the migrant plans still go ahead?
It is unclear whether the plans to house migrants at MoD Bicester will go ahead.
But if they are not housed near Piddington the 1,200 migrants will need to be housed elsewhere.
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, stressed that she does not think it is fair for the burden of housing asylum seekers to fall on poorer communities.
“What I would just gently say to the people of Piddington is: we inherited a massive asylum backlog. We are getting that backlog down. 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,” she told Sky News.
She explained that under the previous government, people in deprived communities and cheaper areas had many houses turned into HMOs to house asylum seekers.
Asked if she is prepared to reconsider the decision to use the Bicester base for asylum seekers, Ms Nandy said: “No, because the alternative would be to ask communities who have already seen their local community quadruple in size to take more of the load and i believe that is deeply unfair”
Andy Burnham last month also said that wealthy areas of Britain “must play their part”, and that the country “cannot have a situation where it’s only the poorest communities in the country” housing asylum seekers.
A spokesperson for the Home Office previously said: “The government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1 billion on asylum support since the election.
“We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.
“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.”
Who lives in Piddington?
Piddington, in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, is home to about 400 people and is currently a Lib Dem seat held by MP Calum Turner.
In the EU referendum 10 years ago, more people in Cherwell voted to leave the EU – a 0.61 per cent majority.
A total of 81,836 people voted, representing 75.55 per cent of the 108,323 electorate.
