Hampshire County Council’s first Green member has vowed to tackle residents’ concerns about widespread cuts to services and the “terrible status of our rivers”.

A Hampshire County Council by-election was triggered for the Meon Valley ward after former Cllr Hugh Lumby resigned after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

On May 2, residents had the opportunity to vote for one of the four candidates that could represent the division in the county council.

Malcolm Wallace, the Green Party candidate, was elected with 2,083 votes.

Cllr Wallace currently represents Central Meon Valley ward on Winchester City Council and has now become the first Green county councillor in Hampshire.

Despite the possibility he could only be in the role for a year as there will be county council elections next year, he said he is already working with the county on “several issues” around “improving local infrastructure” and “community energy”.

Cllr Wallace said: “My new role should provide the opportunity to move these projects forward faster and also to push forward on other issues that local residents have raised with me, including the disproportionate impact that the proposed Hampshire cuts will have on local residents, and the terrible state of our rivers.”

He said the Green party vote had grown “massively” across the Meon Valley compared with last year when he came second to the Conservatives in the last Hampshire County Council elections.

Cllr Wallace said: “If this year’s county by-election had been based on how residents had voted in 2023, then the Greens would win. So, we knew that we had a good chance.

“However, a county council election is very different to a district election, and we have worked hard over the past few weeks since the by-election was announced to engage with residents throughout the area.  The positive feedback we have received from residents from all across the division (from Whiteley in the south to West Meon in the north) was reflected in the results.”

All over the country, the Green Party ended the weekend with their highest-ever total of 812 councillors and became the largest party on Bristol City Council.

When asked about the national political picture, he said: “A lot of people are disappointed with what we’re seeing in politics at the moment, so that’s one side of it, but I think the other side is people are excited by what the Greens bring – the difference it makes."