Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has approved full planning permission for the conversion of MoD Bicester, near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington, into emergency accommodation for more than 1,200 male asylum seekers, a decision that is expected to lead to a court battle.
The approval, granted on Thursday night, was welcomed by the Home Office, which wants to end the use of asylum hotels. However, parish council chairman Tim McNally warned that ministers should “absolutely” be prepared for a legal challenge.
Village opposition and symbolic independence
The Government’s plans have faced angry opposition from villagers, who even made a symbolic attempt to declare Piddington, which has a population of about 300 people, independent from the rest of the country. They now have a six-week window to lodge a legal appeal.
Mr McNally told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the village could also apply the new Hillsborough Law. Once passed, the law would create a legally enforceable duty of candour, compelling public officials and authorities to act transparently when investigations and inquiries take place.
Threat of legal action
Mr McNally told the programme: “Last night, Andy Burnham was on a podium talking about the violence, sexual violence towards women, and bringing it upon the media industry as their responsibility to manage. But the reality is, is that this is exactly what the Government is doing to us here.”
Asked how the village would respond, he said: “There’s going to be many actions, you will see. We will disclose that as we move forward. Today is a day of reflection, and we’ll work out where we plan to go from this point. But I will say, the Hillsborough Law is there for a reason, and we’re going to apply it.”
Asked if ministers should be braced for a legal challenge, he said: “Absolutely, absolutely.”
Government response
Defence minister Luke Pollard said the Government would continue to engage with the community. He told LBC: “It’s pretty obvious that there’s a strong sense of feeling from the community around Bicester, especially in Piddington. The Home Office continues to engage with those. There’s still a few more stages to go here, so it’s not yet fully locked in and delivered, so that we can understand where the concerns are, so they can be mitigated.”
A Home Office spokesperson said on Thursday: “Planning permission allows us to continue to progress the use of MoD Bicester. However, a final decision to proceed is yet to be taken. The Government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1 billion saved in costs since the election. This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites. These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community.”
