OXFORDSHIRE's councils will follow the lead of the government on any problems caused by the Coronavirus.

The five district councils and Oxfordshire County Council currently have no plans to send staff home, cancel public meetings, or postpone local government elections on May 7.

This is because all six councils are following national guidance as set out by the government and Public Health England.

Will Coronavirus affect how councils work?

The government guidance does not say currently say staff should work from home or that public meetings should be cancelled.

A joint statement from all six of Oxfordshire's councils said: "Like all councils in the whole country we are in close liaison with national colleagues and when their advice changes we will respond accordingly."

It added each council had a business continuity plan in place to help plan for any situations that present challenges to normal services.

Will Coronavirus affect local elections in May?

Not at the moment no.

Cherwell, West Oxfordshire and Oxford City Council are all due to hold local elections on May 11.

They are following advice from the Electoral Commission, which is responsible for organising the poll.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said any changes to the date of May’s polls would be a matter for the government and parliament.

They added: "In the event of any changes to the date, we would work with the electoral community to minimise any potential disruption."

What is the government currently doing to respond to Coronavirus?

The UK government has a four stage plan for dealing with the new Coronavirus.

The four stages are contain, delay, research and mitigation.

The government is currently focussed on containing current cases of the virus, and researching ways to create a vaccine.

But there is also planning in place for delay and mitigation.

For regular updates on how the virus is affecting the UK, see the Public Health England website.