# English village votes to leave U.K. over asylum plan

> Piddington residents hold symbolic referendum against government plans to house 1,200+ asylum seekers nearby.
- Title: English village votes to leave U.K. over asylum plan
- Summary: Piddington residents hold symbolic referendum against government plans to house 1,200+ asylum seekers nearby. A small English village staged a symbolic…
- Keywords: piddington, oxfordshire, england, asylum seekers, bicester, home office, andy burnham, asylum accommodation, government policy, local consultation, immigration, referendum
- Source: CBS News — https://cbsnews.com/news/piddington-village-vote-leave-uk-asylum-seekers
- Author: Inaya Folarin Iman
- Published: 2026-09-17T19:01:15+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: piddington, oxfordshire, england, asylum seekers, bicester, home office, andy burnham, asylum accommodation, government policy, local consultation, immigration, referendum
## Village votes to secede over asylum plan
Piddington, a 350-person village in Oxfordshire, voted 285 to 26 to leave the U.K. in a symbolic referendum. The vote was triggered by government plans to house 1,256 asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.
## Facility would triple village population
The asylum accommodation site at a former British military base in Bicester would house up to 1,256 asylum seekers, more than three times Piddington's population of around 350. The facility would operate for 10 years as non-detained accommodation.
## Residents cite lack of consultation
Village residents told CBS News they believe there has been insufficient consultation over the plans and raised concerns about safety, crime, and the potential impact on their lives. Parish council chairman Tim McNally expressed frustration that no government officials have visited.

> I'm only 60 miles away from Parliament, and they can't even be gracious enough to get off their seat and come and see me
## Burnham pushes burden-sharing approach
Prime Minister Andy Burnham argued that wealthier communities should shoulder more of the asylum accommodation burden. He said the government cannot have only the poorest communities receive all refugee and asylum seeker dispersal.

> We cannot have a situation where it's only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal
## Residents worry about safety and property
Some villagers expressed concerns about child and women's safety, potential crime increases, and impacts on house prices. Herbert Owen, who has lived in the area for 33 years, questioned why he should pay his mortgage only to have the facility imposed without consultation.

> I'm worried about the safety of the children and the women of the village
## Referendum held on Battle of Britain Day
The vote was deliberately scheduled for September 15, Battle of Britain Day, commemorating a pivotal 1940 World War II battle when Britain's Royal Air Force fought off Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe. A banner commemorating the anniversary was displayed during voting.
## Campaign inspires similar efforts nationwide
Parish council chairman Tim McNally said that after publishing a blueprint for the campaign, he received more than 500 inquiries from parish and town councillors and residents around the country interested in adopting similar tactics.
## Asylum claims in Britain remain historically high
Around 100,600 people claimed asylum in the U.K. in 2025, more than twice the number in 2019. Over the past decade, roughly 630,000 people have claimed asylum in Britain. Immigration and asylum consistently rank as top voter concerns.
## Key takeaway

A small English village staged a symbolic secession vote to protest a government decision made without local consultation, highlighting tensions over where asylum seekers should be housed.