- Published
The government will face a legal challenge over plans to convert a former military site near Piddington into accommodation for more than 1,200 detained asylum seekers, the parish council chairman has said.
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chairman → publish → seekers
Planning permission for the development at the MoD Bicester site in Oxfordshire was approved by the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner after the Home Office used a fast-track route for projects deemed to be urgently needed and of national importance.
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Office → approve → importance
Opponents have six weeks to challenge the decision.
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Opponents → have → decision
Parish council chairman Tim McNally said ministers should "absolutely" be ready for a legal challenge.
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ministers → say → challenge
Defence minister Luke Pollard said the government would continue to engage with the community.
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government → say → community
McNally told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the village could also apply the new Hillsborough Law.
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village → tell → Law
Once passed, the law would create a legally enforceable duty of candour which compels public officials and authorities to act transparently when investigations and inquiries take place.
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investigations → pass → place
McNally told the programme: "Last night, [Prime Minister] Andy Burnham was on a podium talking about the violence, sexual violence towards women, and bringing it upon the media industry as their responsibility to manage.
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Burnham → tell → responsibility
"But the reality is, is that this is exactly what the government is doing to us here."
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government → do → us
Asked how the village would respond, he said: "There's going to be many actions, you will see.
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you → ask → ?
We will disclose that as we move forward.
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we → disclose → that
"Today is a day of reflection, and we'll work out where we plan to go from this point.
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we → work → point
But I will say, the Hillsborough Law is there for a reason, and we're going to apply it."
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we → say → it
Asked if ministers should be braced for a legal challenge, he said: "Absolutely, absolutely."
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he → ask → challenge
Piddington symbolically voted to leave the UK in September over the planned use for the site, and last month the group Wrong Plan Wrong Site appealed for a judicial review into the proposals.
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group → vote → proposals
Defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC: "It's pretty obvious that there's a strong sense of feeling from the community around Bicester, especially in Piddington.
"
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It → tell → Piddington
The Home Office continues to engage with those.
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Office → continue → those
There's still a few more stages to go here, so it's not yet fully locked in and delivered, so that we can understand where the concerns are, so they can be mitigated.
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they → be → ?
I recognise that any change for the people around MoD Bicester will be a concern, and that's why it's so important that the Home Office engages with the community."
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Office → recognise → community
A Home Office spokesperson said on Thursday: "Planning permission allows us to continue to progress the use of MoD Bicester.
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us → say → Bicester
However, a final decision to proceed is yet to be taken.
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decision → proceed → ?
The Government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1bn saved in costs since the election.
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1bn → work → election
"This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
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This → include → sites
"These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to minimise the impact on the local community."
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These → design → community
The Aporia
