Oxfordshire heads to the polls as stations open
- Published
Polling stations across Oxfordshire have opened for the local elections.
Half of the seats on Oxford City Council are up for election, along with a third of those on Cherwell and West Oxfordshire district councils.
As well as electing council representatives, people will also be voting for the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
Polling stations across the county opened at 07:00 and will close at 22:00 BST.
For only the second time, voters will require a form of photo ID - such as a passport or driving licence - in order to cast their ballot.
Twenty four of the 48 seats on Oxford City Council are up for election - with the council currently under no overall control.
It is being run by a minority Labour Party administration, who lost their previous majority following a spate of resignations from councillors who opposed the party's national stance on the Israel Gaza conflict.
A third of the 48 seats on Cherwell District Council are up for grabs - with the authority currently run by a minority Conservative administration.
Seventeen seats on West Oxfordshire District Council are also up for election.
It is currently under no overall control, and is being run by a joint minority Liberal Democrat and Labour Party administration.
All three are district councils - meaning they are responsible for matters such as rubbish collection, housing and planning applications.
In the PCC race, Conservative incumbent Matthew Barber is facing competition from Labour & Co-Operative candidate Tim Starkey, Tim Bearder of the Liberal Democrats, Ben Holden-Crowther - who is representing More Police Officers for Thames Valley - and independent candidate Russell Douglas Fowler.
PCCs are elected officials whose role is to help ensure police forces function effectively but not to run those forces themselves.
They scrutinise force performance, set the annual budget for their force, oversee community safety, and set out force strategy and policing priorities in a Police and Crime Plan.
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