Up to 500 councillors from villages across Britain consider holding their own independence referendums after Piddington migrant camp protest vote

Up to 500 councillors across Britain are considering following the 'Piddington blueprint' after the Oxfordshire village voted to declare independence from the UK over plans to outnumber locals with male asylum seekers.Residents in Piddington voted 285 to 26 in a symbolic referendum after the Government announced plans to convert a former military base into a camp for 1,256 male asylum seekers.Since the Home Office proposals in June, locals have warned the male migrants would outnumber the 350 villagers by nearly four to one and increase the risk of crime.The referendum result, which was declared on Wednesday morning, carries no legal weight - but campaigners want to send a message to Westminster.Now Tim McNally, the chairman of Piddington Parish Council, has said the village could become a catalyst for similar referendums across the country.He said: 'We have been working in the background with other areas who feel the same as us, who feel they have not been represented and been run over roughshod.' 'When I first published the blueprint, I had over 500 inquiries from across the UK, from parish and town councillors,' he added to The Telegraph. 'The aim of our referendum is for them to go and do it themselves.'The Piddington blueprint sets out in eight stages how to stage a local referendum, from gathering local opinion, engaging the parish council and sending the poll result to MPs. Piddington, near Bicester, is the site for one of three proposed new asylum seeker camps on former military bases. Camps for 350 migrants at Crowborough Training Camp, in Sussex, and 800 more at MDP Wethersfield, in Essex, are already up and running. The Oxfordshire village of Piddington celebrates voting in favour of independence today. Tim McNally is pictured left Migrants in military bases and hotels are bussed into nearby town centres, where women have complained of feeling unsafe in 'no-go' areas.Locals in Colchester say that on days when asylum seekers are brought into the city from MDP Wethersfield – a former RAF base in the Essex countryside – the atmosphere can feel very different.Women are reportedly being told to 'cover up', girls are allegedly being filmed on mobile phones and groups of young men have been accused of staring, making comments and intimidating locals. The Piddington Blueprint Piddington has created an eight-stage blueprint for other villages to follow after their symbolic vote for independence.1. Build your local case: Before asking any residents to vote, establish the main concerns and impacts for the community. The campaign will be stronger if people understand exactly what they are being asked to support.2. Talk to your community: This could include community meetings, conversations with neighbours, leaflets and social media posts. Make clear that this is for local opinion rather than any legal change.3. Engage your parish council: Contact the clerk and councillors to check what procedure applies for raising an issue at a parish meeting. 4. Consider a parish meeting and parish poll: A parish poll can be created from a question considered at a meeting. The question should be clear, neutral and capable of a straightforward answer. e.g. 'Should this parish consider holding a further community vote on whether it should seek greater political self-determination, including the possibility of independence from the United Kingdom?' YES / NO5. The first vote: This is to establish whether there is meaningful local support for taking the discussion further. Does the community want this? Whatever the result, publish it accurately, with the record, votes cast, turnout, and votes for each answer. 6. If the community votes yes: The community can then decide whether it wants to hold a second, symbolic community ballot. E.g. 'Should [PARISH/VILLAGE] express its democratic wish to seek independence from the United Kingdom.' YES / NO7. Put the result on the record: Send the result to your MP, local authority, relevant Government departments, and the Prime Minister. Publish the complete result locally so supporters and opponents can see it.8. Remain peaceful, lawful and democratic Source: The Village That Roared Elena Sokolova, 38, told the Daily Mail: 'The problem is, they don't integrate in society. I am a migrant and I integrated into the British way of life.'The men make comments about women, they say they should be dressed more and cover up. They film the girls in the town. It's terrible. It's really worrying.'Their attitude is totally different. More efforts need to be made to get them to integrate into the British way of life. That's what I had to do. But they have their own culture.'Essex County Council, led by Reform, have hired private security guards to monitor migrants - with the first patrols starting this week. Private security guards carried out their first patrol in Essex on Monday after male migrants have left women scared to go out alone.The Reform-led county council has hired contractors to monitor migrants on the streets of Colchester, Braintree and Chelmsford – with the first walkabouts starting this week.Meanwhile, in Crowborough, an affluent Sussex commuter town, protesters have routinely taken to the streets with Union Jack flags and banners demonstrating against asylum seekers. The Government has sparked further anger over plans to extend the use of existing military sites in Crowborough, until 2030 and Wethersfield until at least 2027. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he understands the public's 'strength of feeling' about migration after the Piddington vote - while Reform's Nigel Farage has vowed to support any other areas in the UK that want to hold votes.Mr McNally said the result 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 the Prime Minister, 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.' Local residents pose with a 'Principality of Piddington' sign in the Oxfordshire village today 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 Thursday. 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.Pictured: Migrants from MDP Wethersfield, Essex, are bussed in and out of Colchester Essex County Council have hired security guards to patrol Chelmsford, Colchester and Braintree Residents in Crowborough have also protested against the housing of migrants at a former military baseMore than 20 women have also reportedly signed up for self-defence classes after residents said they had been advised by police to take precautions.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.'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 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'.They said theGovernment 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.READ MORE: FRED KELLY: Here in Piddington, villagers are fighting their own Battle of Britain against this flailing Government