CALLS have been made for elections at Oxford City Council to be held every four years instead of two.

The move would save £52,000 over four years and lead to higher turnout, Liberal Democrat group leader Andrew Gant said.

There are two seats in each of the city’s 24 council wards, with one per ward contested every two years.

This means a councillor who wins a seat would normally be up for re-election every four years.

Mr Gant rejected accusations from Labour that his idea to hold all elections at once, every four years, was ‘less democratic’.

He said: “It is not. You are still asking the same people to vote at the same frequency.

“You just ask them all at once.”

He claimed it would increase turnout. “It means people have the chance to change the whole council, not just half,” he said.

But this was rejected by Labour’s Bob Price, the city council’s leader.

Mr Price defended the current election cycle, adding: “It means people get a chance every 2 years to make a comment on the performance of their council.”

He said the city council had recently met with officials from the Boundary Commission, who had expressed support for the current system.