Saturday’s decision was made at a packed public meeting.

Just seven of the 80 attendees voted against holding a referendum, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A working group will now meet to set out the timeline for the vote.

The Government disclosed on Friday that the Home Office had quietly scaled back plans for the base.

It is now set to host 913 asylum seekers.

Barnham’s population hovers around 600, leaving the residents outnumbered by the asylum seekers, who are all expected to be young single men.

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.”

GB News has previously reported how residents of the village were advised to get the attention of US President Donald Trump to help their cause.

Mr Bauer told The People’s Channel that nothing was being “ruled out”, including involving the President, and noted that nearby Thetford was the birthplace of US founding father Thomas Paine, who wrote the pro-independence pamphlet Common Sense.

Reform UK-led Suffolk County Council has also called for a county-wide referendum on independence.

But the Labour MP has refused to back such a motion.

He told Britain’s News Channel: “I don’t know the cost of (the county-wide referendum), but we’re probably talking millions of pounds.”

He added: “I absolutely would not support that because I don’t think it’s a good use of taxpayers’ funds.”

He did, however, back a “proportionate” local referendum in the small sleepy village, saying it would give “them an opportunity to make their voices”.

A Home Office spokesman said it was “working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country”.

He added: “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.”

Barnham Residents Vote to Hold Piddington-Inspired Independence Referendum Over RAF Barnham Migrant Camp Plans

Residents of a small Suffolk village have voted overwhelmingly to hold a symbolic independence referendum in protest against government plans to accommodate asylum seekers at a nearby former Royal Air Force base.

The decision has placed Barnham at the centre of a growing national debate over immigration, local democracy and the government’s efforts to reduce its reliance on hotels for asylum accommodation.

At a public meeting on Saturday, October 24, around 80 residents gathered to discuss how they could challenge the proposed use of RAF Barnham. Only seven attendees voted against holding a referendum, according to local reporting.

The initiative follows a similar symbolic vote in Piddington, Oxfordshire, where residents previously declared their support for leaving the United Kingdom to protest plans to accommodate asylum seekers at a former military site.

For Barnham residents, the proposed referendum is intended to demonstrate the strength of local opposition and attract national attention to concerns about the potential impact on their community.

However, the vote will have no legal power to remove the village from the United Kingdom. Instead, it is a political statement designed to put pressure on the government to reconsider its plans.

A Small Village Confronts a Major Government Proposal

Barnham has a population of approximately 600 people, making the scale of the proposed accommodation a central issue in the local debate.

The Home Office has been examining the possibility of using RAF Barnham, a former military site near Thetford, to accommodate asylum seekers while their claims are processed.

Earlier proposals suggested that the site could house around 1,250 people. More recent reports have put the potential capacity at approximately 913 to 931, although the precise figure and final arrangements have not been confirmed.

The reduction has not removed the concerns expressed by residents.

Many fear that bringing hundreds of asylum seekers to a small rural area could place additional pressure on local services, transport, healthcare and other facilities.

Others have questioned whether the former military accommodation is suitable for the number of people being considered.

Barnham Parish Council chairman John Bauer has supported the referendum proposal, arguing that residents were not adequately consulted before the government began exploring the site.

He said the vote would give villagers a way to demonstrate their opposition and make their concerns more visible to national decision-makers.

For supporters, the issue is not simply about the number of people who might be accommodated at the base. It is also about whether communities should have a meaningful opportunity to influence decisions that could affect their surroundings.

The Influence of Piddington

Barnham’s proposal follows the example of Piddington, another small English village that attracted national attention after holding a symbolic referendum on independence.

In September, Piddington residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of declaring independence from the United Kingdom in protest against plans to accommodate asylum seekers at a former military site near the village.

The result was not legally binding, but it generated widespread media coverage and gave residents a platform to express their objections.

Campaigners in Barnham believe a similar approach could bring greater attention to their concerns.

The idea has divided opinion even among some local representatives. Supporters argue that an independence referendum is a striking way to communicate the strength of feeling in the village.

Others worry that the symbolism could overshadow more practical objections, including questions about planning permission, environmental protections and the suitability of the former RAF base.

Any referendum would need to be organised separately from the parish council’s ordinary decision-making procedures and would not change Barnham’s constitutional status.

Nevertheless, the decision to pursue one demonstrates how a protest tactic used in one community can inspire similar campaigns elsewhere.

Questions About the Site’s Capacity and Condition

Concerns about RAF Barnham extend beyond the proposed number of asylum seekers.

During a visit to the site, local representatives were reportedly told that the former military base had approximately 320 bed spaces available, raising questions about how additional accommodation could be provided if the government pursued a larger capacity.

The condition of the buildings has also attracted scrutiny.

Local representatives have raised concerns about the work needed to make the facilities suitable for people who may spend weeks or months there while their asylum claims are processed.

The Home Office has continued to examine the site, but its assessments do not mean that the proposal has received final approval.

Planning and other relevant permissions remain important considerations.

West Suffolk Council has also raised concerns about the location and environmental implications of the proposed development, including the site’s proximity to protected habitats and wildlife.

These questions could become important in determining whether the project can proceed and what conditions would need to be satisfied.

For residents, the central demand is that the government provide clear information about the proposal before making a final decision.

The Government Defends Its Asylum Accommodation Strategy

The Home Office says it is working to close asylum hotels and move people into alternative accommodation, including former military sites.

The government argues that hotels are expensive and that using suitable existing facilities could reduce costs to taxpayers.

Officials have also said that former military sites are intended to operate as self-contained accommodation, with security arrangements and CCTV designed to reduce the impact on surrounding communities.

Ministers have defended the policy as part of a broader effort to manage the asylum system and distribute accommodation more fairly across the country.

The government has also emphasised that asylum seekers need somewhere to stay while their claims are assessed.

However, opponents of the RAF Barnham proposal argue that national objectives should not override local concerns about capacity, infrastructure and the condition of the site.

The dispute illustrates a wider policy challenge: the government must find accommodation that is less expensive than hotels while ensuring that sites are appropriate and that nearby communities understand what is being proposed.

A failure to communicate clearly could deepen distrust, particularly in small villages where even a relatively modest development can have a noticeable local impact.

Local Democracy Becomes the Central Issue

The referendum proposal has become a symbol of a broader disagreement about how decisions involving asylum accommodation should be made.

Supporters say residents should have a greater voice when the government considers placing large numbers of people in a small community.

They argue that local authorities and residents should receive timely information, opportunities to raise objections and clear answers about infrastructure and security.

For them, the proposed vote is a way to demonstrate that local concerns cannot simply be ignored.

The government, however, must also consider the national responsibilities associated with processing asylum claims and providing accommodation.

A system based entirely on local consent could make it difficult to find sufficient places across the country, particularly when communities disagree about where accommodation should be located.

That does not mean consultation is unimportant. Rather, the challenge is finding a process that takes local concerns seriously while allowing the government to fulfil its legal and administrative responsibilities.

A symbolic referendum cannot resolve that tension by itself, but it can bring the disagreement into the public arena.

Could the Campaign Spread Further?

The Barnham decision could encourage other communities facing similar proposals to consider their own forms of protest.

If residents believe that conventional objections have failed to attract sufficient attention, symbolic votes and public meetings may appear to offer a more visible alternative.

However, the practical effects of such campaigns remain uncertain.

A referendum without legal force cannot automatically prevent a development, overturn planning decisions or change national immigration policy.

Its influence will depend on whether it prompts further negotiations, attracts sustained public attention or persuades decision-makers to reconsider particular aspects of a proposal.

Barnham’s campaign may therefore combine the referendum with other forms of pressure, including engagement with councillors, MPs and government officials.

The key questions will remain whether the site is suitable, how many people it could accommodate, what safeguards would be provided and whether local infrastructure can meet the additional demands.

Those issues are likely to matter more to the project’s eventual outcome than the symbolic declaration of independence itself.

What Happens Next?

Following the public meeting, a working group is expected to consider the timetable and practical arrangements for a possible referendum.

The precise date and format have not yet been established.

Meanwhile, the Home Office’s assessment of RAF Barnham remains a separate process, and the government has not confirmed a final decision on the site’s future use.

Residents are likely to continue pressing for greater transparency and assurances about the possible development.

The parish council and other local representatives will also need to consider how best to communicate the community’s concerns without losing sight of the practical planning and environmental questions involved.

For the government, the challenge is to demonstrate that its search for more affordable asylum accommodation can be carried out with proper safeguards and meaningful engagement with local communities.

For Barnham, the proposed referendum offers a way to make its objections heard, even if it cannot legally deliver independence.

The vote has already brought the village into the national debate. Whether that attention leads to changes in the RAF Barnham proposal remains to be seen.

Ultimately, the dispute reflects a difficult question facing Britain: how can the country meet its responsibilities under the asylum system while ensuring that local residents feel informed, consulted and confident that decisions affecting their communities are being made fairly?