A LEGAL challenge to an Oxfordshire elections result has been lodged with the High Court.

The Labour Party is challenging the result in the Banbury Ruscote division of Oxfordshire County Council, which was declared on May 9.

In the local election results announced on that day, Mark Cherry, the previous Labour councillor, lost his seat to new Conservative candidate Jayne Strangwood.

However, during the day, the county council confirmed there had been an 'administrative error' in the announcement of the result.

It is understood the result was not immediately challenged, and as a result, a formal process through the civil courts is now the only way of challenging it.

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The Labour Party has now confirmed it has made a legal challenge to the result through the courts.

In a statement on behalf of the Banbury and Bicester Constituency Labour Party, chair John Christie, said: "An election petition to the High Court requesting that it be determined that the Conservative candidate was not duly elected and that Mark Cherry, the Labour candidate, instead had the lawful majority of votes and was duly elected in the Banbury Ruscote county council election was filed on May 24, 2021.

"The petition has now been served on the Conservative candidate and the Returning Officer. A court hearing giving directions as to how the case will proceed is now awaited.”

Alanna Powell, the election agent for the North Oxfordshire Conservatives, confirmed the party had received the petition.

She added: "We always knew the Labour Party had been very firm from the start they intended to serve the petition to the result.

"Jayne is currently elected as the councillor and will remain so until the matter is resolved and we have always committed to both the Labour Party and the public we will co-operate on this legal matter."

The Conservative Party does not intend to issue any further statements on the challenge until it has been resolved in the courts.

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An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: “The council is aware that an election petition has been presented in the High Court in respect of the Banbury Ruscote division result at the county council elections in May. The council will await the result of this legal process.”

It is understood that the ballot boxes containing the results of the May election poll have been kept in storage, as is normal after all elections, but may be reopened to check the result in the future as part of the legal process.

Following the elections in May, Oxfordshire County Council was left without a single ruling majority, and a coalition of Lib Dems, Greens and Labour was formed nine days after the result was announced to govern the county.