A NEW city councillor has made a complaint to police after she said she was racially abused at an election count – and she is also at the heart of another investigation.

Shaista Aziz complained to police after she alleged she was the victim of abuse at the city council’s election count last week.

But she is being investigated herself over whether she broke electoral law when she retweeted an internet page which referred to her as a councillor before she had been elected.

Ms Aziz was confirmed as Labour councillor for Rose Hill and Iffley at Oxford Town Hall on May 4.

She declined to give any more details about the alleged racially aggravated public order offence other than to confirm that she had registered her complaint with the police.

It is understood she alleges that a supporter of another political party at the election count made a remark she found offensive.

Thames Valley Police confirmed other officers are looking into whether Ms Aziz herself broke the law after it received a complaint from a member of the public.

Last Thursday, the Oxford Mail’s Insider column reported that she had retweeted a webpage advertising a discussion about immigration detention.

Held at Wadham College on May 4, the event’s page referred to her as a ‘local Labour Party councillor’.

She claimed she had asked organisers to amend the page to refer to her as a council candidate. But it appears no amendments were made.

Ms Aziz said: “The people organising the event put ‘Labour councillor’ and I contacted them to ask them to change it because I was a candidate.

“They told me that it had been changed.”

Thames Valley Police media officer Kieren Bushnell said: “A local reader has brought the article to our attention and has asked whether there has been any infringement of any electoral legislation.”

On the alleged other alleged crime, police press officer Mel Adams said: “We can confirm that we are investigating the incident. Enquiries are ongoing.”

She added: “It is currently being treated as a racially aggravated public order incident.”

Oxford City Council confirmed a person was asked to leave the Town Hall on election night. 

A spokesman said: “An individual was asked to leave the election count by the returning officer.

"A report of the incident, and the allegation made, has been submitted to Thames Valley Police.”

Ms Aziz easily held onto Rose Hill and Iffley for the Labour Party last week. She was selected by the party after one of its former councillors for the ward, Michele Paule, stood down.

Ms Aziz won 997 votes, with the Conservatives’ Dan Gee receiving 260 votes as he finished in second place.

The Liberal Democrats’ David Bowkett and Miranda Shaw’s Green Party were joint third with 231 votes.

Labour now has 36 seats of 48 on the city council.