Russell Oppenheimer, 51, formerly the member for Petersfield Hangers, stepped down from Hampshire County Council in May to become a newly qualified French, German and citizenship teacher after 10 years in local government. He will begin teaching at a secondary school on the East Hampshire border this September. His route into teaching was supported by Now Teach, the UK's only charity for people wanting to change careers into teaching. He later entered local politics, where he spent 10 years with Hampshire County Council. A strong advocate for the environment, in 2022 he helped establish the Hampshire Forest Partnership, which aims to plant one million trees by 2050.