The 350 residents of Piddington in Oxfordshire have staged a symbolic referendum to leave the UK over Home Office plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers at nearby Bicester barracks.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that affluent areas must play their part in accommodating asylum seekers to ensure that the responsibility does not fall solely on poorer communities.
Tim McNally, the chair of Piddington council, supported the principle of sharing national responsibility but expressed concern over the scale and management of the facility.
Home Office minister Anna Turley defended using self-contained military sites as a more affordable alternative to hotels, confirming residents will be permitted off-site.
The government is assessing multiple former military and industrial locations across the UK for asylum housing as it moves away from using hotels.
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