Residents of the small leafy Oxfordshire village of Piddington have delivered a thunderous rebuke to Westminster’s latest asylum experiment.
With roughly 180 adults casting ballots on July 4, 175 backed holding a referendum on breaking away from the United Kingdom in protest against plans to house up to 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers at an adjacent former Ministry of Defence Site.
That works out to a 96% yes vote in a community of around 370 people where decisions about their future are being made without them.
The move comes after the Home Office announced in late June it would convert the redundant military storage facility — sitting right between Piddington and Upper Arncott — into basic accommodation for single men aged 18 to 65.
Utility companies have already received instructions to prepare power, water and sewage connections, with work eyed for late August or early September. No detailed public proposal or full impact assessment has been published. Locals say the site was never built for this purpose and sits next to a children’s play area and reserve.
Piddington resident Ian Darby captured the frustration felt by many when he spoke out against the total lack of engagement from officials.
Hellbound and Down 