English villages consider referendum over asylum seeker housing plans
A second English village is considering holding a symbolic referendum on leaving the UK in protest over plans to host asylum seekers at a nearby military base, reports BritPanorama.
Barnham in Suffolk may follow in the footsteps of Piddington, Oxfordshire, where a significant opposition to the government’s plans to house migrants at Ministry of Defence (MoD) Bicester resulted in 90 percent of locals voting to leave the UK in an unofficial referendum held last week.
John Bauer, chair of Barnham parish council, indicated that the village, home to around 600 residents, is contemplating a similar vote. He mentioned that a group from Barnham will visit Piddington to discuss the referendum in response to the plans to house migrants at the former RAF base in their area.
Bauer stated that no one he has spoken to in Barnham supports the government’s initiatives. “To send a message to the government, I wouldn’t be surprised if 90 percent voted [for independence from the UK],” he remarked. “Barnham is a small – I would say quintessential – Suffolk village, with a village school, a village hall and it’s got a church. That is it. There are no shops, there is no pub, there is nothing else for them to do here.”
According to the MoD, asylum seekers are expected to be accommodated at the site only during the initial processing stage of their claims. This follows recent protests outside the former RAF base where dozens gathered to oppose it being used for asylum seekers.
Union and St George’s flags were displayed at the protest, and demonstrators carried placards reading: “Barnham says no. Protect our community.”
Earlier this month, tensions rose in nearby Thetford, Norfolk, when individuals attempted to storm homes linked to asylum seekers, resulting in police officers facing significant aggression, including being struck with rocks and spat at.
In Piddington, residents voted in the symbolic and unofficial referendum last Tuesday, with 285 backing “independence” out of a turnout nearing 92 percent. Only 26 voted against the motion, with one ballot spoiled.
Last month, Home Office Minister Anna Turley defended the government’s strategy to house asylum seekers in former military bases, arguing these locations would be more manageable and affordable than continued hotel accommodations. She stated it is a matter of “fairness” for asylum seekers to be housed in such environments, pointing out that poorer areas had already absorbed their fair share of migrants.
Turley emphasized that the migrants would be contained within the former military bases, which would provide everything they need onsite. “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,” she noted.
The Home Office has been approached for comment regarding these developments, which reflect ongoing community concerns about government policies on asylum seekers and local integration.
