Alton town councillor Nick O’Brien has defected from Labour to the Green Party.

Cllr O’Brien, who represents Westbrooke ward, has doubled the Green representation on Alton Town Council.

Lorna Woodcroft became the party’s first Alton town councillor when she won a by-election for the vacant Eastbrooke ward seat last month.

Calling his switch “positive news”, Cllr O’Brien said: “The Green Party is a party whose values, local democracy and ambition for real change I have come to share wholeheartedly.”

Cllr O’Brien’s decision was influenced by Labour’s national performance in Westminster.

He said: “Like many people, I have been deeply dismayed by the government dropping key commitments: the loss of the Green New Deal, the removal of winter fuel payment for many pensioners, and planned cuts to personal independence payment for disabled people.

“Wealth inequality remains untouched, while legal loopholes still allow the wealthiest to avoid paying their fair share of tax. Change was promised, but it has been far too slow and too limited.”

But what finally prompted Cllr O’Brien to change was how Labour acted locally.

He said: “The East Hampshire Labour Party has refused to consult Alton Labour members - or even sitting Alton Labour councillors - about selecting a candidate for the upcoming county council elections.

“This follows a previous election where a candidate was imposed against the decision of local members, splitting the progressive vote and letting the Conservatives hold the seat. I asked repeatedly that this not happen again. My messages were ignored.

“In contrast, the Green Party has stood a candidate for Alton Town in this election through a democratic decision of local Green Party members – not a decision made in Petersfield or Liss, but here in Alton, by Alton residents. That is the kind of locally rooted, transparent politics I want to be part of.”