TODAY is the day where residents will go to the polls to decide the fate of 20 seats on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

The borough has a total of 60 councillors, with a third of these seats contested today with polling stations across the borough open from 7am to 10pm.

Wards where the seats will be contested during today’s polls are Basing; Brighton Hill North; Brighton Hill South; Brookvale and Kings Furlong; Buckskin; Burghclere, Highclere and St Mary Bourne; Chineham; East Woodhay; Eastrop; Grove; Hatch Warren and Beggarwood;, Kempshott; Norden; Oakley and North Waltham; Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon; Popley East; Popley West; South Ham; Whitchurch; and Winklebury.

Of the seats being contested in the election eight are currently held by Conservative councillors, eight are Labour seats, the Liberal Democrats hold three seats and Cllr Ian Tilbury’s Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon seat is the only independent.

One thing is for sure is that there will be at least four new faces on the council following the retirement of a number of current councillors.

To find your nearest polling station and a full list of candidates visit basingstoke.gov.uk/borough-pc-elections-2018.

The count will be going through the night and you can keep up to date as the results come in with our live blog on basingstokegazette.co.uk.

A full list of results and reaction will be in next week’s Gazette.