Steve Brine has congratulated Cllr Judith Grajewski after her resounding success in the Chandler's Ford county council by-election.
Cllr Grajewski stood as the Conservative candidate in the division after the by-election was triggered following the retirement of the previous councillor, Colin Davidovitz, and the hard-working borough councillor increased the Conservatives domination in the area.
Judith polled 2074 votes, securing 49.3% of the vote, an increase of 10.2% on last time, a whopping 581 votes ahead of her nearest challenger.
Steve Brine said: "I am truly delighted that Judith Grajewski will now step up and hold the county council brief for the area, as well as her existing borough councillor position. She works extremely hard to represent local people, including with me on a number of wide-ranging issues locally.
"Judith very much kept in style with the Conservatives locally, by running a 100% positive campaign, and I know just how keen she is to get going. Local people will be pleased that they put their faith in her."
Cllr Judith Grajewski added:"I am very pleased at the outcome of this election, which is an endorsement of what the Conservatives are doing not only on a local level, dealing with everyday issues that we face, but also on a national level.
"I am now totally focussed on just getting on with the job and representing everyone across the Chandler's Ford division."
The final results were:
Judith Grajewski, Conservative: 2074
Liberal Democrat: 1493
UKIP: 358
Labour: 285
Pictured; A strong local team, Cllr Judith Grajewski with Steve Brine and local borough and parish councillor Margaret Atkinson