Village ‘holding vote to leave the UK’ over plans to house more than 1,000 migrants on former military base

LIVID locals in a tiny village have pledged to vote on leaving the UK amid fury over plans to house more than 1,000 migrants near their homes. Some 350 residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, are vowing to hold an independence referendum amid the “frightening” proposal. Some 350 residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, are set to hold an independence referendum Credit: SWNS Current plans would see more than 1,000 male asylum seekers moved to ‘Site A’ near the village Credit: SWNS Home Office plans would see 1,250 male asylum seekers – almost four times the local population – moved to a nearby ex-Ministry of Defence site. Bicester Garrison has been chosen as part Labour’s wider scheme to convert MoD facilities into migrant housing and close asylum hotels. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! But humans rights groups, the local council and MP Calum Miller have objected to the controversial plans for “Site A”. And in a vote on July 4 – symbolic for American independence – 96 per cent of villagers said they wanted a referendum on leaving the UK. Almost 100 per cent of villagers said they wanted a referendum on leaving the UK Credit: SWNS There is no current legal mechanism allowing a village to declare independence from the UK Credit: SWNS Tim McNally, Piddington parish council chairman, told The Telegraph the local authority had been given “no prior warning” to the plans. He said: “It’s about representation. We have had no input into the proposal. We have been asking questions, and nothing has come back. “The shock of the information triggered people. I could have prepared them if I was given prior warning. “George Washington brought change about. I am going to make the change and then give away the power like he did.” Most read in The Sun There is no current legal mechanism allowing a village to declare independence from the UK. And the unprecedented move could only happen with the agreement of the Government and Parliament. But furious villagers say they have been driven to vote for the referendum in the wake of the “nightmare” plans. Gwen McEwan described the prospect as “frightening” and vowed to stop paying council tax if the move went ahead. She said: “Why should we suffer? There are people waiting for houses in this country, people on the breadline, and these people get handouts. “We’ve got two buses, at 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock on weekdays – our children have to pay to get the bus to school, £300 a term. “I’m not happy about it. They shouldn’t put them in a camp in a rural village. If they come here, I won’t be paying any council tax.” Graham Rixon added: “It’s completely inappropriate. “We’re a village of 350 people – there’s another village down the road of even less people, and they’re going to dump 1,200 people here. “Most of them probably won’t speak the language, so there’s going to be communication problems. “We haven’t had any detail of how it’s going to work, so if it does go through, it’ll be a mess – inadequate provision has been made. “We’re supposed to live in a democracy, and this is just trying to bypass democracy and get it all done before anyone notices.” Similar plans have sparked fury across the UK – with huge protests against the takeover of another army site in Crowborough, East Sussex. Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, accused the Government of making “secret decisions” without consulting local authorities. A Home Office spokesperson told The Sun the concerns of communities were “central to our immigration reforms”. They added: “We are working with local authorities and others to fairly disperse asylum seekers across basic accommodation including ex-military sites. “Three more military sites are being explored to house asylum seekers. We are seeing results. “The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35% in the last year and by 63% from the peak under the previous government. “Overall asylum costs have already fallen by £1 billion since this Government was elected.” Comment now