Barnham villagers vote for referendum over migrant housing plan
Village to vote on 'leaving UK' over migrant plans Image source, Martin Giles/BBC Image caption, RAF Barnham has been earmarked by the Home Office as a location that could house asylum seekers By Henry Durand , Local Democracy reporter  and  Alex Pope Published 18 minutes ago Residents of a village where about 930 migrants could be housed at a former RAF base have voted to hold a referendum on leaving the UK. RAF Barnham in Suffolk was one of three Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites named in June as potential locations for asylum housing, as the government vowed to move away from hotel-based accommodation. Opposition to the proposals has led to protests outside the base, near Thetford in Norfolk, with villagers now set to vote on whether to symbolically secede from the country. The Home Office said: "We recognise the strength of feeling in local communities and are listening carefully to the concerns being raised." On Friday, the government said the number of migrants that could be housed at the base had been reduced from 1,250 to about 930. Villagers in Piddington, Oxfordshire, voted in September to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum held in protest at plans to house more than 1,000 migrants at a former military base at MoD Bicester. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service , only seven of the 80 people who attended Saturday's meeting at Barnham's village hall voted against the plans for a referendum. A working group will meet on Monday to set out the timeline for the vote. Barnham Parish Council chairman John Bauer, who supported the move, said: "Residents voted decisively in favour of holding a referendum as a means to demonstrate the strength of feeling in the village at the government's failure to consult anyone about a matter which will change the nature of the village. "This democratic action stands in dramatic contrast to the high-handed approach the government is taking." Image source, PA Media Image caption, There have been protests outside the base ever since the Home Office said it was considering using it The site is currently used by Norfolk and Suffolk police forces for specialist training. According to information provided by the Home Office in a meeting with Norfolk County Council earlier this year, the majority of people who could be accommodated there would be single young men who arrived in the United Kingdom illegally. Another site where migrants could be housed is MoD Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. The government is also seeking to extend the use of two existing sites, including Crowborough in East Sussex until 2030 and Wethersfield in Essex beyond 2027. Reform UK, which runs Suffolk County Council, has called for a county-wide referendum on the plans to house asylum seekers at Barnham. Norfolk County Council, run by Reform UK, formally objected to the proposals and said it would put strain on local services in Thetford. A Home Office spokesman said it was "working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country". "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 reduce the impact on local communities." Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below. Get in touch Your Voice Contact form Contact form Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds , Facebook , external , Instagram , external and X , external . Related topics Refugees and asylum seekers Barnham Home Office Thetford More on this story RAF Barnham to house fewer migrants in new plans Published 2 days ago Village votes to leave UK over asylum housing plan Published 16 September Reform calls for referendum over migrant housing Published 30 September Related internet links Home Office Local Democracy Reporting Service