Over 415,000 people in the Netherlands can today vote for a new local council, including the residents of Alkmaar and Den Bosch.

The elections are due to boundary changes which come into effect on January 1 and affect 16 different local authority areas.

Among towns where voting takes place are Oss and Den Bosch which are taking in part of Maasdonk district council. In Noord-Holland, the villages of Graft-De Rijp and Schermer become part of Alkmaar while in Zuid-Holland, Spijkenisse and Bernisse are being combined to form Nissewaard.

The polling stations are open from 07.30 to 21.00 hours and the first results are expected at around 23.00.