In the tranquil spa town of Buxton, a £100m redevelopment scheme has sparked intense debate about the town’s future – but it is not the construction noise or traffic diversions occupying most conversations. Here in the heart of the Peak District, the ambitious plan to upgrade the town centre, including widening the River Wye, has become intertwined with a very different concern: illegal immigration. The town of 20,000 people, famous for its Georgian architecture, opera house and natural springs, has few immigrants and no asylum centres. Yet, immigration dominates local discourse, shaping politics and becoming a symbol of wider frustrations.
Reform UK’s rise has amplified these tensions. Though Buxton is 250 miles from Dover and government data shows no asylum seekers living in High Peak Borough Council as of June, nearly a third of voters backed Reform UK in the May county council elections. The party went on to win control of Derbyshire County Council and posted strong results in Buxton’s two wards, despite the town having no hotels used for migrant accommodation and virtually no visible influx of newcomers.
At the Tuesday market, 74-year-old Robert Stordy articulates the anxiety shared by many older residents. He acknowledges seeing unfamiliar faces in town but cannot say who they are or where they came from. Stordy, frustrated with both Conservative and Labour governments, believes the strain on public services fuels suspicion. For him, new arrivals — even if they come to work — add pressure to a stretched NHS and limited local resources. Among older residents, that view is common.
Yet a generational divide is unmistakable. At Buxton Community School, sixth formers see the hostility toward migrants as rooted in prejudice rather than evidence. Many of the 10 teenagers interviewed argue asylum seekers are fleeing horrific conditions and being unfairly accused of burdening the state. One student, Henry, says if those arriving were “rich and white,” attitudes would be entirely different. Another argues Britain is treating desperate people “like they’re not welcome”. While their voices are passionate, none are old enough to vote — a fact not lost on them.
This divide is heard daily by Ian Howarth, who runs the Queen’s Head Hotel. He describes Buxton as “a large village”, a community where rumours travel quickly and opinions harden. According to him, younger residents are strongly against Reform UK, while older residents are firmly in favour. Campaigns against new parking plans or redevelopment often share space with heated conversations about immigration.
One of Reform UK’s new local councillors, Melandra Smith, has become a focal point of this shift. A fluent Japanese speaker and well-known local campaigner, she helped block a plan by the University of Derby to convert empty student halls into a 274-room dispersal centre for asylum seekers. Thousands protested, and the university withdrew the proposal in 2024 — a moment Smith describes as a “wake-up call”. She now receives frequent messages from residents worried empty buildings could still be repurposed for asylum seekers. Even she admits some concerns “can be a little irrational”, but insists the anxiety is the result of unclear national policy.
Many residents express nostalgia and frustration in equal measure. Buxton appears prosperous, with cafés, bakeries and a steady flow of tourists, yet locals complain that essential shops are gone. Others speak of a broader despair in politics. One resident, Yvonne, says she no longer believes any party’s promises, locally or nationally.
That sense of disillusionment feeds into fears about immigration, even when the facts do not match local sentiment. Some residents argue Britain must look after “its own” first. Others suggest asylum seekers should be housed in army camps or allowed to work to offset costs. Some, like 68-year-old Liam McGuinness, are uneasy at the thought of hundreds of single men arriving in such a small community, even though the now-scrapped university plan never went ahead.
Yet Buxton has welcomed immigrants before. Around 150 Ukrainians settled in the town in 2022, many living with British families. They now work locally and speak warmly of the hospitality they received. For them, Buxton feels like home, not a hostile environment.
Despite being named one of Britain’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in 2024, many young residents see a country losing its way. Some say they want to leave Britain entirely. One student says arguments at home have become routine, with relatives calling for asylum seekers to be “sent straight back” the moment they arrive.
In Buxton, debates over redevelopment have exposed something deeper — a town grappling with national fears, generational division and a widespread feeling that promises of a better future rarely materialise. For some, the new investment is a chance to revive the “sleeping giant”. For others, it is overshadowed by a sense that Britain, like Buxton itself, has already seen its best days.
