HUNDREDS of thousands of residents will head to the polls today (May 3) as local elections are held across the county.

Seats are up for grabs at Eastleigh, Fareham, Southampton and Winchester councils, with voters holding the power as to who stays and who goes.

All the councils, bar Eastleigh whose entire authority could change, will have a third of their members – one from each ward – up for election.

In Southampton, Labour will be hoping to increase their slim majority of two as 16 seats are contested.

Party leader Simon Letts is one of the names on the Bitterne ballot paper, along with Kentish Road Respite Centre campaigner Lisa Stead.

The Independent candidate will be hoping to oust Cllr Letts after his party’s decision to close the centre.

The Conservatives will be looking to add to their 19 council seats.

The party has pledged to transform Southampton into an electric vehicle-friendly city as well as to reopen the Kentish Road centre.

Elsewhere in the city, Putting People First’s leader Keith Morrell will be defending his Coxford seat, while Southampton Independents say it hopes to dent Labour’s majority as leader Denise Wyatt goes against party stalwart Cathie McEwing.

Both the Liberal Democrats and Green Party will also be fighting to grab their first council seats.

Pushing north to Eastleigh, the authority will be holding a full council election.

This comes after, as new boundaries have been drawn, which will see the council cut from 44 to 39 members.

The Lib Dems will hope residents vote for them to remain in charge.

All seats will be hotly contested after five Lib Dem councillors left the party over concerns about plans to build 5,200 homes near ancient woodland between Bishopstoke and Fair Oak.

Heading further north and Winchester voters know the stakes are high, as just three seats are needed to move control over to the Lib Dems.

Currently, the Conservative group, led by Wonston and Micheldever councillor Caroline Horrill, holds a majority of four councillors.

The city currently has a number of major projects ongoing which could decide the vote, including Silver Hill 2 and Station Approach, both of which went back to the drawing board after the schemes collapsed under the Conservative council; Winchester Sports and Leisure Park; and the diversion of the Andover Road, which, controversially, the Conservatives have said can still be halted.

In Fareham, 15 seats are up for grabs. Currently held by the Conservatives, party leader Seán Woodward will look to defend his Sarisbury seat.

The group holds 24 of the 31 council wards. Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm.

Counts will take place that evening and run into the early hours of Friday morning.