AN inquiry will be held over last week’s South Oxfordshire District Council elections after authority leader Ann Ducker labelled it a shambles.

Mrs Ducker, the leader of the Tory-run council, said an investigation was needed after problems with the distribution of postal ballots and the lengthy count at Thame Leisure Centre.

It took all morning to verify votes and until about 7pm to declare all the district council results.

Mrs Ducker said following the count: “It was a shambles.

“The staff counting the votes have worked very hard but it should not have taken this long to complete the process.

“It’s quite clear that something has gone sadly wrong with the system and we need to find out what.”

Margaret Davies, leader of the district council Labour group, said: “The count at Thame was a complete shambles.

“By the time they finished counting the town council votes I had been in the leisure centre for 15 hours.”

Returning officer David Buckle, who is also chief executive of SODC and the Vale councils, said he planned to bring in an experienced returning officer from elsewhere to carry out a review, which was likely to take a number of weeks.

Watlington parish councillor Tim Horton called for the Electoral Commission to review the election process in South Oxfordshire after he and his wife did not receive a postal vote.

He said: “Neither my wife nor I were allowed to vote in an election in which I was a candidate.”

Mrs Ducker said a scrutiny committee would handle the inquiry.