Ex-military base will be home to 1,250 adult male asylum seekers
An ex-military base could soon provide accommodation for 1,250 'single adult male' asylum seekers despite the concerns of nearby villagers.
Home Office documents show the site in Bicester, Oxfordshire, would be used to house men 'between the ages of 18 and 65 who have applied for asylum'.
The men will not be detained, but would need to use a sign-in-sign-out system to leave the site which is located between the villages of Piddington and Upper Arncott.
The Home Office said the ex-military base would be self-contained and largely self-sufficient to minimise the impact on local services.
Tim McNally, the chair of Piddington Parish Council, said the women and children in his community would have to 'adapt their lives to accommodate these men'.
He said villagers had already met to discuss the conditions they will demand are met before the contentious plan goes ahead.
The announcement has also sparked criticism from Woodstock MP Calum Miller, who said over 7,000 residents had signed his petition against the decision.
'I have written to Ministers demanding an immediate explanation of how long No 10 and the Home Office have been working on these plans while keeping local people, and even the base itself, in the dark,' he wrote on Facebook.
An ex-military base could soon provide accommodation for 1,250 'single adult male' asylum seekers despite the concerns of nearby villagers (pictured, MOD Bicester)
The military base is pictured prior to D-Day in 1944 when the UK was the central staging ground and command center for the largest amphibious invasion in history
'It is increasingly clear this is a No 10 and Home Office decision with MOD Bicester and the wider community left to deal with the consequences without any meaningful say. If Andy Burnham is serious about ending top-down diktats from London, he should come to Bicester and hear the strength of local opposition for himself.'
Mr Miller said the proposed site at MOD Bicester was isolated and unsuitable in a statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
'To my constituents, this feels like a decision taking in secret in Whitehall and imposed on Bicester, with local people treated like an afterthought,' he said.
'In less than 72 hours, 7,156 residents have signed my petition opposing this move.
'Opposition is stretched across the political spectrum, across parties and the community. Because this isolated site is wrong for those seeking asylum and the small villages around it, with no credible plan for local services, support or social cohesion.'
If approved, MOD Bicester would be used for a minimum of 10 years to house 1,250 asylum seekers, with 270 expected to move in by the end of 2026.
The Daily Mail has contacted Mr McNally for further comment.
The proposal comes after the government announced plans to use two more military sites for asylum accommodation amid a push to end the use of hotels.
RAF Barnham will house asylum seekers under plans announced by Labour earlier this month
The announcement has also sparked criticism from Woodstock MP Calum Miller (pictured) who said over 7,000 residents had signed his petition against the decision.
Previous plans to house up to 1,500 asylum seekers at RAF Linton-on-Ouse were abandoned in 2022 following protests by nearby households (pictured)
Aside from Bicester, ministers said they had lodged planning applications to turn RAF Barnham in Suffolk and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire into accommodation.
They also outlined plans to extend and expand the use of existing sites in Crowborough until 2030 and Wethersfield beyond 2027.
Overall, the plans would create close to another 5,000 beds.
Previous plans to house up to 1,500 asylum seekers at RAF Linton-on-Ouse were abandoned in 2022 following outcry and a legal challenge from the local council.
Earlier this month, ministers announced the closure of another 20 hotels where migrants were being housed, including the Bell Hotel in Epping.
The Bell Hotel came under scrutiny last year after Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman just eight days after arriving via a small boat.
Labour said the hotel closures would save taxpayers £170million this financial year and claimed overall asylum costs had already been reduced by nearly £1billion.
It has pledged to stop using asylum hotels by the next election.
The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has fallen to its lowest level since data was first reported in 2022, according to Home Office figures.
There were 20,885 people staying in hotel accommodation while they were awaiting a decision on their asylum claims at the end of March, down 35% year-on-year from 32,326. The total had climbed as high as 56,018 at the end of September 2023.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
