Residents in Piddington have demanded urgent action from the Government after voting to “leave the UK” in a symbolic independence referendum.
Speaking to GB News, three residents reacted to the results of the referendum after more than 90 per cent voted in favour of the tiny Oxfordshire village leaving Britain.
Announcing the result this morning, Susannah Parden revealed 285 of 350 residents voted to leave the UK, with 26 opting to stay.
The symbolic vote is the latest protest from residents of the village, who are opposing the Government’s plan to move 1,256 asylum seekers into the local MoD Bicester site.
Read Also: WATCH: Piddington votes to leave the United Kingdom in symbolic independence referendum
Speaking to locals after the referendum result, voter Sandra told GB News that she is “thrilled” with the outcome.
She said: “I think it says what Piddington has been saying for a long, long time – actually, it’s not that long, is it? Because it’s only been since the beginning of July.
“But actually, as a democratic country, we should have a voice, and we’ve been denied it. I know this is just the beginning of the journey for us.
“Just because we are now the principality of Piddington, that does not mean to say that the Government are going to stop their plans for the 1,256 residents for the asylum centre in Bicester.”
Asking another resident for his verdict on the situation in Piddington, Derek reflected on the last 53 years that he has lived there and how “vulnerable” many of his neighbours and friends in the village are.
He said: “In my view, the Government never really take that much notice of what people think. I didn’t vote Labour, but people who voted them in, I don’t think they quite understand what life is about, to be honest with you.
“This village here, I’ve been here 53 years now, a lovely little quiet village. I’ve seen it grow very slowly and I’ve seen things go. We used to have a pub, we used to have a school, we used to have the post office. Everything is gone.”
Derek expressed concern for the elderly and the children living in Piddington: “And now the people of the village who I’m very concerned about, especially the children and the women and the widows, there’s quite a lot of old widows here.
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“And if these people arrive on our doorsteps, how do we protect these people? They’re very vulnerable. I’m 86 and if two of them came up to me, I would not be able to do anything to try and defend myself to be honest.”
Derek added: “My wife wants to move, and I don’t. We’ve been looking into securing our home, which is going to cost so many thousands. I’ve had these quotes come through to try and protect ourselves, and the Government just don’t listen to any of it.
“We’ve had no reply from the actual Government, nothing, and this is a big occasion. Look at today, all the media here, the world knows of Piddington.”
Speaking to another long-term resident, farmer Jo, who has lived in Piddington for 56 years, told GB News that the MoD site contains a “mass biodiverse ecosystem” which needs requires an “environmental impact survey” by the Government.
She said: “The village has changed a lot, but the community spirit here is still incredibly strong. These people are my friends, but they’re also like my extended family. I have two teenage daughters, so I’m very concerned for their future here.
“We’re farmers, and I’d like the Government to just do this in a legal way. They’re trying to push this through using these urgent Crown development powers, but they’re not considering what’s actually there in the site at the present time.
“I’m a custodian of the countryside as a farmer, and so for me, it’s important that the Government look at the site from all aspects and consider redoing an environmental impact statement, which they have said that they don’t need to do. The Home Secretary said she didn’t need that.
“But yet when you look at the species, it’s a species-rich environment. There is a massive biodiverse ecosystem in that site. Please can we have some transparent surveys that take that into account? We are passionate about that. For me, it’s really important that this is acknowledged and the Government goes through due process rather than pushing it through under the radar in order to achieve their aim, which isn’t necessarily in the ecological, international or national interest.”
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