Overview
- The parish council announced on Wednesday that 285 of 312 ballots supported a symbolic vote to leave the UK, a protest against proposals to house about 1,256 single adult men at the nearby former MoD Bicester site.
- The vote has no legal force but organisers say it will keep pressure on ministers while the government’s public consultation and an Urgent Crown Development planning route — a process that can bypass some local planning controls for government projects — are still open.
- Residents and local women’s groups say the village of roughly 350–400 people lacks shops, police presence and other services and fear the proposed centre would overwhelm local infrastructure and harm safety and social cohesion.
- The Home Office and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defend the policy to move people out of hotels into self‑contained former military sites to cut costs and speed processing, and say safety plans are being discussed with local authorities and police.
- Councils and refugee charities have warned the site could draw national political attention and street protests, and local leaders say the dispute highlights wider tensions over the government’s plan to rehouse asylum seekers outside hotels.