Police Commissioner Election: Poor turn-out in Oxford (From Oxford Mail)

Police Commissioner Election: Poor turn-out in Oxford

11:03am Friday 16th November 2012 in News

The count begins at Oxford Town Hall today

FEARS of a low turn-out in the election for the new Police and Crime Commissioner appeared to be accurate this morning after it emerged less than 11 per cent of people voted in Oxford yesterday.

Six candidates are standing to take the post as the new head of Thames Valley Police under a scheme the Government claims will lead to more public accountability.

But the new post - which replaces the police authorities as the body overseeing forces - has been widely criticised with predictions of public apathy.

The verficiation process of ballots is near completion this morning and it has just been announced that only 10.9 per cent of registered voters in Oxford bothered to turn out yesterday. That is the joint lowest in the Thames Valley, alongside Slough, and amounted to just 12,065 people.

Overall there was a 13.3 per cent turn-out across the region.

In the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts there was a 13.9 per cent and 13.6 per cent turn-out respectively and 13.2 per cent in West Oxfordshire. In Cherwell the turn-out was 12.4 per cent.

Counts are happening locally with results collated in Aylesbury.

The winner may be declared at 1pm if there is a clear winner under the first preference voting scheme. If it requires the checking of the second preference votes, the winner may not be declared until 4.30pm.

• Reporter Ben Wilkinson is tweeting live from the election HQ in Aylesbury via @TheOxfordMail
• Full tabulated results