Second English village to hold vote on leaving UK

A second English village will hold a symbolic referendum on leaving the UK in protest over plans to host asylum seekers at a nearby military base.

Barnham in Suffolk could follow in the footsteps of Piddington, Oxfordshire, where opposition to the government’s plans to house migrants at Ministry of Defence (MoD) Bicester saw 90 per cent of locals vote to leave the UK in an unofficial referendum held in September.

The chair of Barnham parish council, John Bauer, previously told The Independent that his village, which has a population of around 600, was considering holding a similar referendum – in response to plans for migrants to be housed at the former RAF base MoD Barnham.

Now, a meeting at Barnham’s village hall on Saturday saw only seven of the 80 attendees vote against plans for a referendum and a group will meet on Monday to set out the timeline for the vote, the BBC reports.

Mr Bauer, who supports the move, told the BBC: "Residents voted decisively in favour of holding a referendum as a means to demonstrate the strength of feeling in the village at the government's failure to consult anyone about a matter which will change the nature of the village.

"This democratic action stands in dramatic contrast to the high-handed approach the government is taking."

According to the MoD, asylum seekers would normally only be accommodated at the site during the initial processing stage of their claims.

In August, dozens of people gathered outside the former RAF base, located between Barnham and Thetford in Norfolk, to protest the plans for it to be used in such a way.

Union and St George’s flags were flown at the base, and some demonstrators held placards which read: “Barnham says no. Protect our community.”

It came after tensions flared in Thetford in August when people attempted to storm homes linked to asylum seekers and police officers were assaulted in three nights of unrest.

Police in Norfolk said officers were “subjected to significant aggression” in the market town; one was hit with a rock, one was bitten and another spat at.

In Piddington, residents cast their ballots in the symbolic and unofficial referendum in September.

Some 285 villagers backed “independence”, with a turnout of nearly 92 per cent. Only 26 residents voted against the motion, with one spoiled ballot recorded.

It declared itself the “Principality of Piddington”.

At the time, Home Office minister Anna Turley defended the government’s proposals to house asylum seekers in former military bases in the British countryside.

Ms Turley said the sites would be “self-contained” and were more manageable and affordable than housing those who have arrived in the UK illegally in hotels.

She told LBC radio it was a matter of “fairness” for asylum seekers to be housed in such areas. She said poorer areas with lower property prices had already taken their “fair share” of migrants.

Ms Turley said: “They’re not going to be in the village, they’re going to be contained in a former military base, they will be allowed out, everything they need will be on that site.

“We are looking at former military bases around the country, we’re also looking at former industrial sites, student accommodation, other means by which we can put people in secure places that is contained and is manageable – going back to the beginning of our conversation – is more affordable than putting people in hotels.”

The Independent has approached the Home Office for comment but a spokesperson told the BBC: "We recognise the strength of feeling in local communities and are listening carefully to the concerns being raised."