THOUSANDS of people will head to the polls today to elect Southampton’s newest city councillor.

Six candidates have been battling for the votes of Woolston residents over the past two months after the shock resignation of former city council leader Richard Williams.

The Labour chief stood down in April after an independent report ruled he had misled the public over the resignation of a council colleague.

His resignation at an extraordinary council meeting on April 25 left a vacant seat in the Woolston ward which he had represented for 17 years, and over the past two months six parties have been campaigning, leafleting and canvassing for their candidate to succeed Mr Williams.

Although Woolston has been a Labour stronghold in recent years, with the party winning every election since 2004, the Conservatives believe they could gain their first seat in the ward since 1974.

The Tories and other parties bidding to win the seat have highlighted the £16m of cuts made by the city council since Labour took over last May.

But Labour activists have been a highly visible presence on the ward’s streets, and party sources say they are “quietly confident” they will be able to hang on to the seat.

They say the party has a strong record in the ward, with one insider pointing to the impending improvements at the Woolston Sewage Works as a success story for the party.

The polls open at five stations across the ward at 7am this morning and close at 10pm.

The stations are located at St Patrick’s Church at the junction of Portsmouth Road and Manor Road South, Woolston Community Pre-school in Church Road, Weston Church Hall in Weston Lane, the Scout headquarters in Tickleford Drive and Weston Court at Kingsclere Avenue.

The result will be announced at the Civic Centre tonight.