Voters were going to the polls today (May 1)in district, town and parish council elections.

Landlady of the Fox and Hounds, Judith Bishop

There are no Oxford city or county council elections but seats are being contested at the Vale of White Horse, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire and Cherwell district councils.

While some constituents have made arrangements to vote by post, there is no provision for e-mail voting, which is being trialled in other parts of the country.

Schools, church halls and pubs were being used as polling stations, including the Fox and Hounds at Christmas Common, near Watlington.

In the Vale, the Liberal Democrats, who hold 33 out of 51 seats, will try to fight off a challenge from the Tories.

Polling stations were open from 8am, and for the first time the count in the Vale is being held at the new leisure and tennis centre in Audlett Drive, Abingdon.

In Cherwell, the Conservative group has a large majority -- 37 out of 50 seats -- but could feel the backlash of this year's large council tax increases.

In West Oxfordshire, a third of the district council's seats, 16, are up for election, and there is a total of 53 candidates.

The Conservatives control the council with 32 seats, the Liberal Democrats have 10, Independent five, and Labour two.

Boundary changes mean there will be only 48 councillors on South Oxfordshire District Council after today's elections, two down on the present count.

Conservatives are hoping to gain overall control. At the moment, they are the biggest party with 22 seats but the council is run by a Liberal Democrat-Labour alliance.