With Tamsyn Widdon elected as the new Green Cornwall Councillor for Penryn and Green candidates coming second in several divisions, the Green Party's overall share of the vote in Cornwall looks set to quadruple.

Tamsyn Widdon, the newly elected Cornwall Councillor for Penryn, said:

"It's very exciting and a real honour to be chosen to represent the people of Penryn. I've really enjoyed working with local people to improve life in my community as a town councillor, but there's so much more that can be done at Cornwall Council level.

"Fighting an election campaign is always hard work, but the real work starts today.

Talking to so many people on the doorstep has given me a real sense of what matters to them and the kind of changes they'd like to see – and those are the things that I'll be fighting to achieve."

Matt Valler, joint co-ordinator for Cornwall Green Party, said:

"This is a fantastic result for us, and Tamsyn will be a great councillor for the people of Penryn. And it's part of a bigger picture of Green wins all over the country. It shows that the Green Party is now a real force to be reckoned with in Cornwall.

"Having more Greens in the rooms where key decisions are made, both at County Hall and in towns and parishes across Cornwall, will make a big difference. We'd like to thank everyone who put their trust in our candidates yesterday, as well as all the volunteers who stepped up to help us fight a brilliant campaign on a fraction of the budget that the big parties enjoy.

"All of our elected councillors, at every level, will fight hard to protect the natural environment and the wellbeing of the people they represent, and to make council decisions more transparent and democratically accountable.

"It's worth noting that our overall share of the vote is set to be much higher than is reflected in the number of Green councillors returned – at the moment, it looks like about four times more people voted Green than at the last local elections. There's strong support for Green policies and values throughout Cornwall, and a fairer electoral system would see this reflected proportionately in the make-up of Cornwall Council.

"This strong support will strengthen our determination to work at every level for a more positive future for Cornwall, and to push for policies that can improve people's quality of life at the same time as protecting the natural world and the climate system we all