A YouTuber turned parish councillor has told of her election being a "huge moment for trans visibility" as she set out her top priorities in office.

Cllr Hannah Phillips - the founder of New Forest pride and environmental campaigner - secured a seat in Thursday's election for the Lib Dems.

The 23-year-old won the Buckland ward on Lymington and Pennington Town Council and tweeted: "This is a huge moment for transgender visibility and all the LGBTQ+ young people of the New Forest."

She runs a YouTube account posting a child-friendly account of being trans accessible to parents of trans children, she said.

Cllr Phillips, who has been openly trans since her early teenage years, told the Echo: "For me personally, I grew up in Brockenhurst so a very strong Conservative stronghold.

"For me, being an openly transgender woman, it was definitely a challenge.

"It was not necessarily scary but there was a lot of difference in opinions from others and different beliefs.

"I moved to Lymington when I was 18 and it was a more diverse place."

She added: "Running in this election was something I wanted to do, I wasn't focussing on what does this mean for transgender visibility - there's so much more to me than being trans.

"To be a YouTuber turned councillor is an interesting career path."

It's understood she is the first openly trans New Forest councillor.

Cllr Phillips told the Echo she was "never interested in politics from the get go" but has been politically active.

She campaigned for more unisex toilets in the New Forest, and blocked Westminster Bridge in 2018 with Extinction Rebellion, although she is not a member of the protest group.

Cllr Phillips said her priorities are making the streets safer - in terms of traffic and crime - the environment, and investment into Lymington high street.

She came fifth in the Lymington ward on New Forest District Council with 586 votes. The two seats in the ward were claimed by Tory Barry Dunning and Independent Jacqui England.

Cllr Phillips told the Echo she has support removing transphobic comments on her social media.

"It doesn't affect me - it might affect children coming out or the parents," she said.

"It could deter their support away from their child."