Councillors have agreed to continue the fight to stop the Government building an asylum accommodation centre on the outskirts of Bicester.

National Front members hold their recruiting drive in Sheep Street, Bicester

Cherwell District Council will lodge an appeal at the Court of Appeal in a bid to overturn a High Court judge's decision to allow the Home Office to build the controversial 750-person centre on surplus MoD land between Arncott and Piddington.

The move has been backed by Bicester Action Group (BAG) which was set up to fight the plan.

The council should find out within a month whether it will get leave to appeal.

Executive member Lawrie Stratford said: "The fight goes on. We believed that the centre should not be built from the beginning and we have not moved from that.

"We were disappointed to lose the judicial review and were advised by counsel that the same information before a different judge would be seen differently."

Executive leader George Reynolds said: "This is an issue of critical importance to the local community. The Government's proposed accommodation centre is contrary to our planning policies and to wider expert opinion.

"We believe we have reasonable and proper legal grounds for an appeal. It cannot be right that we should have to withdraw simply because of the harsh reality that the Government has deeper pockets than the council and is determined to press on regardless.

"We aim to make them think again."

Sue Baxter, a co-founder of BAG, said: "This has justified Cherwell's stance that accommodation centres are good neither for the local community nor those people the Government intend to dump there. We are delighted that the council continues the fight. They have our full support in this."

If permission to appeal is granted the case should be heard within the next six months. After the Government announced it wanted to build an accommodation centre near Bicester the National Front set up a branch in the town.

Since then organiser James Starkey claims the far-right group has won support across the county.

He said membership was now 200-strong - an increase of 190 since the branch opened two years ago.

Mr Starkey, who sought election to the Bicester and Cherwell district councils last year, claimed about 50 people had joined the group since the judge's decision earlier this month. The party also hoped to field two candidates in June's elections.

He said: "People do not want this centre and the whole planning process has been a complete farce and waste of money.

"We are getting a good reaction from people and some are pledging support. We hope to have two candidates for the elections in June."

Bicester Action Group, which has fought against the plans for the centre since they were first announced in January 2002, accused the National Front of jumping on the bandwagon.

Ms Baxter said: "I believe we should fight the decision in the reasonable manner and not by joining extremist groups."