THE first elections to the newly formed Taunton Town Council take place today (Thursday, May 4).

The county town has been without its own council for 50 years until now.

A shadow council has been in place in the run up to the election to enable the new council to get down to business promptly.

Voters will be selecting a total of 20 councillors covering 14 wards in the new parish-level authority.

Polling stations open from 7am until 10pm and for the first time electors will need to produce official photographic proof of identity such as a passport, driving licence or concessionary bus pass before being permitted to cast their vote.

Votes will be counted overnight and published at countygazette.co.uk.

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are both fielding 20 candidates across the patch, with Labour putting forward 13 would-be councillors, three independents standing and two Green Party hopefuls.

It has been all change for local authorities in Somerset this year.

The four district councils and the county council were abolished and replaced by the unitary Somerset Council.

And now Taunton is also getting its own council for the first time since the 1970s.