CANDIDATES from across Banbury have been making their final efforts to claim your vote ahead of the local elections today.

It comes as voters prepare to go to the polls to decide their town, district and parish councillors.

In the last few weeks candidates have been campaigning and door-knocking voters to gain support for their party.

Due to ward boundary changes, this year every seat on Banbury Town Council and Cherwell District Council will be up for election.

Polling stations open at 7am today.

Once the polls close at 10pm, the voting papers will be taken to Banbury's Spiceball Leisure Centre so they can be verified.

The official count will begin at 10am on Friday, with the results expected later in the day.

There will also be a vote to decide the next police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley area.

For the local elections there will be candidates from the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green Party and UKIP.

The Conservative Party has already promised to improve safety and more affordable homes, as well as encouraging more businesses to move into Banbury and Bicester town centres.

In Labour's manifesto there were pledges to increase the amount of free car parking available, and to continue their opposition to fracking.

Last week the Green Party also released their manifesto ahead of the elections.

It said that the party would promise to protect NHS services at the Horton Hospital in Banbury, and campaign against the use of greenbelt land for any building projects.