Residents of Piddington, a small Oxfordshire village, are rallying against government plans to house 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers at a neighbouring disused military storage depot. The proposed site, MoD Bicester Site A, would hold more than three times the village's population of around 360.
Community united in opposition
Locals say they have had no consultation on the plans. Vic Hubbocks, a mother of three, said: “We’ve had nothing in consultation, no ability to give our voice. Obviously Andy Burnham has said about power to the postcodes, and now I think we really need him to act on that and allow us to have a voice in something that is going to impact us massively.”
The village previously made headlines by holding a symbolic vote to seek “independence” from the UK in protest. The motion passed with 96% in favour of holding a referendum.
Picnic protest and children's sign
On Sunday, villagers gathered at the local park, which lies next to the proposed migrant site, for a picnic to demonstrate against the plans. At the heart of the event was a Hollywood-style 'Piddington' sign painted by local children.
Ed West, 42, who helped create the sign with his wife Alice, said: “We also wanted to do something positive that the children could get involved with, so that they get a bit of an understanding of what we’re all talking about as adults.”
Alice West added: “It is difficult because I’m very mindful that this is a real learning moment for the children as well. It’s an opportunity to make sure we’re not giving them the wrong message about immigrants, immigration, caring for people, that kind of thing. We’ve explained really that our concerns are about the scale of this site and the location of this site, and these are our main concerns.”
Safety concerns and family impact
Residents worry the isolated location will leave migrants with nowhere to go but the village. Vic Hubbocks said: “My children are of the ages where if this lasts for 10 years, then that is the whole of their childhood, and you only get one chance at childhood. My eldest is at the point where we are starting to allow him the ability to come and walk the dog down here by himself, get some freedom. All of that will disappear when we don’t know the people who are wandering around.”
Gina Perkin, whose family have lived in Piddington for five generations, said she is “terrified” the proposals could change how they remember her daughter Nancy, who died in labour. “We all go down as a family, we tend her grave. That’s how we remember her, and we grieve and process that she’s not with us, but she’s still part of our family. It’s so important to us to remember her like that, and if I can’t, as the kids grow older, if they can’t freely go and visit her grave without us worrying or having to hop in the car to drive down there, it just takes away that for us.”
Elon Musk and legal action
The village's plight caught the attention of Elon Musk, who wrote on X: “What has happened to towns who did nothing to deserve it, like little Piddington village, will happen to all of Britain, unless there is fundamental political change. It’s not right. Not right at all.”
Ian Darby, 62, who has lived in Piddington for 16 years, said he hoped Mr Musk’s comments would see the proposals “debated at the highest level”. He added: “This isn’t a campaign against asylum seekers, that’s not what we’ve ever talked about, and we understand the Government’s got to deal with that as a challenge, but this is very much about wrong site, no consultation. Come and talk to us and revisit the thinking.”
Villagers are seeking legal advice to challenge the Home Office plans and have written to the Prime Minister.
Home Office response
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms, which is why we are working with local authorities and others to fairly disperse asylum seekers across basic accommodation, including ex-military sites. Five military sites are either in use or being explored to house asylum seekers. We have already seen results. The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35% in the last year and by 63% from the peak of 56,000 in 2023. Overall asylum costs have already fallen by nearly £1 billion since the general election.”
