Piddington resident blasts Labour's 'undemocratic' plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers as village holds independence referendum

A Piddington resident has hit out at Labour's "undemocratic" process in planning to house more than 1,000 asylum seekers, as locals hold an independence referendum.

Speaking to GB News, Ian Darby told reporter Will Godley that there has been "little communication" between the Government and the village's council over the plans.

The small Oxfordshire village, home to just 350 people, has continually protested over plans to move 1,256 asylum seekers into MoD Bicester, a local disused military site.

In their latest demonstration against the decision, the village has held a symbolic independence referendum to "leave the UK".

Speaking to GB News after casting his vote, Mr Darby said the referendum is "historic" for the tiny village.

He said: "It's a historic vote for our independence, to raise our profile as a village, to highlight, I think, more than anything else, how undemocratic we feel the whole planning process has been.

"How little engagement there has been with our parish council, the county councils, the police, and this is our way of showing the Government that they ought to listen and they ought to take note of what we have got to say about what we think is a very flawed potential planning application."

Asked why the villagers decided to hold the referendum amid a consultation process on the plans, Mr Darby said the process has been "changed" by the Government, meaning the opportunity to raise concern has been shortened.

He explained: "Well, we have seen the process. They have taken the process away from it being a normal planning process, which is run by the council, to being a crown process, which means that we have been given literally a two week opportunity to raise objections, which we're doing.

"And that process ends on the 17th, but it feels to us very much like they've made a decision, and we're trying to make sure that they have heard our voice before they make that decision."

Echoing the Government's argument that the asylum seekers "have to go somewhere", Mr Darby stressed that the site in Bicester is simply "not appropriate" to house them.

He said: "We understand the Government has got an issue in terms of how it houses and manages the asylum seeker issue, and that's not been our problem. Our issue here is that this is a site that we don't think is suitable for asylum seekers.

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"It's got no water, it's got no drainage, it's got no electricity, it's a flood zone. It's on a busy road, and we think all of those things will impact the site itself, and also it's so disproportionate.

"This is a village of 350 people - 1,250 men or any sex at all is so disproportionate, we'll be taken over in that process, and that's why we think it's not just it's not proportionate."

Noting the safety concerns expressed by women in the village, Mr Darby concluded that the safety of villagers is their "principle concern".

He told GB News: "I think it's got to be one of our principal concerns, and we understand that they don't know who these 1,250 men are as part of the problem, they have to be sent here to be worked through.

"But we don't know whether within that group, there are a few people that won't align with our culture and put our people at risk, and that's obviously one of our big concerns."

A Home Office spokesman has said: "The Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1billion 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."