- Piddington residents voted for independence to protest a planned asylum center at Bicester Garrison.
- The proposal would house one thousand two hundred fifty single adult male asylum seekers.
- A symbolic declaration will be presented to the United States Embassy in London on July twentieth.
Residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, voted to pursue an independence referendum after the UK government proposed housing 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers at nearby Bicester Garrison (Site A). The village has approximately 370 residents.
The initial ballot took place on July 4, 2026, with 178 residents supporting the move and seven opposing it. Organizers put support at 96%.
The campaign targets an asylum seeker plan first announced by the Home Office on June 26. The proposed residents would be single adult men aged 18–65.
Free toolUSCIS Receipt Number DecoderThe numbers drive the protest. Villagers say the arrival would nearly quadruple the local population overnight.
Parish Council Chair Tim McNally confirmed plans for July 20 to present a “Declaration of Independence” to the U.S. Embassy in London. The date coincides with the 250th anniversary of American independence.
| India | China | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Oct 15, 2022 | Jul 01, 2023 ▲30d | Current |
| EB-2 | Unavailable | Sep 01, 2021 | Current |
| EB-3 | Jan 01, 2014 | Jan 01, 2022 ▲10d | Sep 01, 2024 ▲31d |
| F-1 | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d |
| F-2A | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d |
The action is symbolic. It does not itself create a separate jurisdiction or resolve the dispute over the site.
The village wants Washington to notice its protest
McNally said the campaign’s organizers would seek support from the United States if the village votes to leave the United Kingdom. They have drawn inspiration from the American Revolution.
“We want President Trump to know about this,”
The organizers have also suggested, jokingly or symbolically, that the village could petition to become the “51st state.” The proposed embassy presentation gives the campaign an international frame, while the underlying dispute remains with the UK government.
The July 20 declaration follows the earlier ballot rather than replacing it. Residents voted to move forward with the campaign on July 4, and the planned embassy visit is its next public step.
A village of 370 faces a proposed center for 1,250 men
The village has no shops and very few public amenities. Its nearest services are three miles away.
That leaves local residents focused on how a former military site would support a population several times larger than the surrounding community. The main figures are:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Village population | Approximately 370 residents |
| Proposed accommodation | 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers |
| Proposed age range | 18–65 |
| Initial ballot | 178 in favor, 7 against |
| Reported support | 96% |
| Distance to nearest services | Three miles |
The proposed center would use Bicester Garrison (Site A), described in the campaign material as a redundant former military site. Villagers have linked their opposition to the lack of shops and other nearby services.
The Home Office announced the plan on June 26. The July 4 vote then authorized the campaign’s next stage.
Ministers are replacing asylum hotels with basic accommodation
The Home Office has defended the Bicester proposal as part of a wider effort to close asylum hotels. A spokesperson said on July 19:
“We are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into basic accommodation including ex-military sites. This is an important step in ending the perception you can arrive in the UK illegally and end up in a hotel.”
The department’s approach centers on large, basic facilities at former military locations. The Bicester site is one element of that broader shift.
Alex Norris, Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, described the policy in Parliament on June 30. He named three former military locations under consideration.
“We are scaling up alternative accommodation by expanding the use of large, basic facilities, including former military sites, to replace unsuitable hotels. Three new ex-military sites are now under consideration: MoD Barnham, MoD Bicester and MoD Linton-on-Ouse.”
The sites listed by Norris are MoD Barnham, MoD Bicester and MoD Linton-on-Ouse. His statement placed the local proposal within a national accommodation policy rather than treating it as an isolated conversion.
The wider bill targets more than 5,000 asylum seekers
The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026 seeks to move 5,000+ asylum seekers from hotels to five rural military bases. That wider proposal provides the national backdrop to the dispute around Bicester Garrison.
The local campaign, however, is centered on one site and one proposed intake. Its organizers say the scale would overwhelm a community of about 370 people.
The planned arrivals would be single adult males between 18 and 65. The village’s ballot did not decide the Home Office’s accommodation policy, but it produced the mandate for the independence campaign.
The embassy presentation is the campaign’s next date
McNally has tied the declaration to the 250th anniversary of American independence and the village’s appeal to the United States. The campaign’s language borrows from the American Revolution while challenging a decision made in London.
The proposed “51st state” appeal is therefore a political gesture. Its purpose is to draw attention to the village’s objection to the former military site being used for asylum accommodation.
The sequence runs from the Home Office announcement on June 26, through the 178-to-7 ballot on July 4, to the planned presentation on July 20. McNally is set to take the declaration to the U.S. Embassy in London as residents continue their symbolic secession campaign.
