133 Women, 1,256 Men: Oxfordshire Village Fears Being Outnumbered by Proposed Home Office Asylum Centre
Residents say the proposed accommodation centre at the former MOD Bicester site threatens their safety, while the Home Office says a larger figure in planning documents is outdated
A group of women from Piddington have created a video addressed to the women of Parliament in a bid to stop government plans to house up to 1,256 single adult male asylum seekers at a former military base next to their village. The village has a population of around 350, including 133 women.
The video, shared via an account called 'Piddington Roars,' accompanied an open letter. 'To the women of Parliament, we are the women of Piddington. We are mothers, we are grandmothers, we are widows, we are workers,' the video and letter began.
The video was originally shared on TikTok, but the post is currently unavailable. It was later reposted on Alex Stafford's Facebook page.
Women in Piddington, a village of just 350 people, have released a video asking female MPs to speak out in Parliament against plans to house up to 1,250+ in their community. This is not some abstract policy debate. These are women and families who are genuinely frightened about what this could mean for their community. The majority of the men being housed here are coming from countries where attitudes towards women and consent can be very different from those expected in Britain. Women deserve to feel safe in their own village. No should mean no, everywhere. So my plea to MPs, especially women MPs, is simple: listen to these women. Speak up for them. And stop this plan from going ahead.
Posted by Alexander Stafford for Rother Valley on Thursday, September 10, 2026
Piddington Women Are Worried
The video continued: 'We are worried. We will be outnumbered. Ten to one. 1,256 men. To over 3,000 and could rise again.' Around 18 women took turns sharing their fears in the video.
The women behind the campaign believe female elected leaders will understand their anxiety. 'As fellow women, you will understand the serious risks this will expose us to,' the letter to the women of Parliament also said.
'Our safety, our security and our freedoms will be under threat. Life as we know it will be destroyed. We will not feel safe walking our streets. We are already living in fear,' the letter read.
The British Home Office has proposed establishing a large-scale accommodation centre near Piddington, a tiny village in Oxfordshire. Asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels that have become costly for the Government, while ministers are seeking to move more people into alternative accommodation. The current planning application is for up to 1,256 people at the former MOD Bicester site.
However, information contained in a government risk assessment has rattled Piddington residents even more. A Government Property Agency unexploded-ordnance risk assessment dated March 2026 refers to a 'proposed scheme' involving accommodation for 3,510 'service users'.
The figure appeared among more than 1,000 pages of supporting documents released as part of the planning process.
The Home Office has rejected the suggestion that 3,510 people are currently planned for the site, saying the figure appeared in a preliminary draft published in error. The official planning application specifies accommodation for up to 1,256 people.
Referendum Continues
This is far from the first time Piddington residents have complained about the proposed asylum centre. They have been complaining since plan was first announced.
Piddington Parish Council will therefore hold a symbolic independence vote on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, which coincides with Battle of Britain Day. The council wants Piddington to become independent from Britain after repeated requests for greater engagement have, residents say, fallen on deaf ears.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously said he would listen to concerns from the people of Piddington, but residents say they have yet to receive the engagement they are seeking. Downing Street previously declined an invitation for the Prime Minister to visit the village, citing demands on his schedule.
An earlier vote in July saw 96% of participants back holding a formal referendum on leaving the United Kingdom.
'The idea was that hopefully the Government would engage with us, but we have had no response from the Home Office or the Government, and because we haven't had a response, we are pushing ahead,' Piddington parish councillor Joe Marshall said of the forthcoming referendum.
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