WHILE some are still recovering from December's General Election, voters in Oxford can already look forward to more polling in 2020.

City residents will be among thousands across England going to the polls on Thursday, May 7, for the latest local government elections.

The local representatives on Oxford City Council will be contesting their seats ahead of the big day.

The election campaign will see all 48 councillors fighting for their seats, because of a change to electoral ward boundaries coming into effect.

Usually only half of the city’s councillors must stand again for the seats in a local election, and this system will return in 2022, meaning some councillors will only have a guaranteed two-year term of office.

Currently Oxford City Council has 36 Labour councillors, nine Liberal Democrats, two Greens and one independent member.

At the last city council election in 2018, the Labour group bolstered its majority by taking two seats from the Greens.

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These were Carfax and Holywell, and halved the number of Green councillors at the time from four to two.

Meanwhile the Lib Dems secured Quarry and Risinghurst from Labour.

The Conservatives currently have no council seats in Oxford, but with the volatile and changing nature of politics over the last few years, it is possible the party might make gains in the city.

In the 2016 elections, the Labour Party bucked the national trends at the time to strengthen its hold on the council.

The party took two seats from the Green Party in closely-fought battles for Iffley Fields and Holywell.

The Liberal Democrats safely held all their seats, increasing majorities in their North Oxford strongholds, but the Conservatives and UKIP failed to make a breakthrough.

There were fears at the time that Jeremy Corbyn's leadership would dent support for the Labour party in the city council election.

Between 2016 and 2018, the party controlled 35 out of 48 seats on the council, with the Lib Dems at eight and the Greens at four.

The final version of Oxford’s new city council ward boundaries was published in February this year.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England said it supported the current policy of there being 48 city councillors, with each ward being represented by two members.

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The recommendations were subject of three rounds of public consultation and include new boundaries for 21 city council wards across Oxford.

Proposals for the Wolvercote and Cutteslowe ward altered after concerns from local residents, while Barton's name will be amended to Barton and Sandhills.

In other changes, residents in Rewley Park will be included in Jericho ward because of community ties.

As the changes were announced, Professor Colin Mellors, chairman of the boundary commission, said: “We are extremely grateful to people across Oxford who took part in the review.

"The commission has looked at all the evidence that was put forward during the consultation.

“We believe these recommendations deliver electoral fairness for voters as well as reflecting community ties throughout Oxford.”

Cherwell and West Oxfordshire District Councils will also elect one third of their councillors this year, but only Oxford City Council's members will face a full election. 

*This article has been amended, as Cherwell and West Oxfordshire district councils are also electing one third of their councillors this year. A previous version of the article said only Oxford City Council would face an election.