Councillor dossier
Subject of a Cornwall Political Watch investigation. Cllr Ashton is the Reform UK group leader on Cornwall Council, having taken the role after the October 2025 Dobwalls incident triggered a wave of resignations. The Cornwall Political Watch investigation hub covers Reform UK's command chain into Cornwall, the collapse of the group, and the defections record. Read the Reform UK Cornwall investigation.
Data last refreshed:
Attendance
78%
present at meetings
Rank
76
of 87 councillors
Active red flags
1
open accountability flags
Conduct cases
0
no recorded cases
Attended 2 of 4 Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education meetings (50%), below the 60% threshold.
2 of the apologies were covered by a substitute; also observed 7 meetings of committees they do not sit on (not counted above).
| Committee | Held | Attended | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Chief Officers Employment Committee | 11 | 8 | 73% |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Leadership Board | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Cornwall Council | 10 | 8 | 80% |
| Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Standards Committee | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education | 4 | 2 | 50% |
| Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee(former member) | 4 | 3 | 75% |
Cornwall Council doesn’t publish how individual councillors vote. Its minutes record each decision, not who voted which way.
Paul Ashton was re-elected in 2025 with a majority of 306 votes (18.82%), a margin that widened by 1.4 percentage points compared to the previous election. The low turnout of 31.13% and the fact that a swing of 9.41% would be needed to unseat the councillor, in a field of five candidates, suggest a moderately competitive seat despite the comfortable majority.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Ashton | Reform UK | 619 | 38.1% | ✓ |
| Jennifer Anne Lingham | Liberal Democrat | 313 | 19.2% | |
| Andrea Hilary Lanxon | Labour & Cooperative Party | 310 | 19.1% | |
| Richard Williams-Pears | Conservative | 272 | 16.7% | |
| Mike Thompson | 112 | 6.9% |
Turnout: 31.1% (1,626 of 5,224 electors) · 3 spoilt votes
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Pears | Conservative | 676 | 40.0% | ✓ |
| Jackie Bull | Liberal Democrat | 382 | 22.6% | |
| Andrea Lanxon | Labour & Cooperative Party | 256 | 15.1% | |
| Julie Fox | Mebyon Kernow | 176 | 10.4% | |
| Mike Thompson | Independent | 113 | 6.7% | |
| Richard Wells | Green Party | 89 | 5.3% |
25 Sept 2026
23 Sept 2026
15 Sept 2026
29 Jul 2026
21 Jul 2026
17 Jun 2026
22 May 2026
19 May 2026
6 May 2026
30 Apr 2026
No media coverage recorded.
Daily-brief items naming Paul Ashton (last 90 days)
cornwalllive.com · 29 Sept 2026
Red flag · 30 Aug 2026
Red flag · 16 Aug 2026
Red flag · 2 Aug 2026
Hi @RobKenyonReform, Ashton Library was already saved thanks to the Labour MP Josh Simons (you might of heard of him) and Councillors. Being that you’ve not bothered to even sign the paperwork for being a councillor, let alone attending your first meeting, it’s no surprise you https://t.co/kHFkM7zaNi
Reform UK candidate for Bryn with Ashton in Makerfield Robert kenyon was seconded by Councillor Steve Jones. He’s a councillor with a horrific record: https://t.co/6zuK66vO7f https://t.co/cK6bMGYFGY https://t.co/bNI685T7Qt
Here’s Reform UK’s #Senedd candidate for Fflint Wrecsam, William Paul Ashton. @Nigel_Farage, is abolishing the Senedd back on the agenda? https://t.co/j8rHRjtIop
cornwalllive.com
Reform UK accused of 'doing nothing' at Cornwall Council by other councillors - Cornwall Live
Opposition councillors accuse Cornwall Council's Reform UK group of inactivity after failing to fully form a shadow cabinet eighteen months post-election, which leader Paul Ashton denies.
cornwalllive.com
Mylor harbour 'illegal migrants' boat - MP and councillors react - Cornwall Live
Devon and Cornwall Police and the Home Office arrested several individuals, including two Albanian men, after a boat reportedly carrying migrants landed at Mylor Harbour.
cornwalllive.com
Cornwall Council is now £1.5 billion in debt - Cornwall Live
Cornwall Council faces £1.5 billion debt and a £22 million budget shortfall, prompting managers to find savings ahead of next year's budget.
cornwalllive.com
Cornwall Council calls for removal of South West Water in favour of a publicly owned water company - Cornwall Live
Cornwall Council voted with cross-party support to declare no confidence in South West Water, urging its replacement with a publicly-owned water company.
cornwalllive.com
Bid to shine a 'very big spotlight' on what Cornwall can offer the rest of the world - Cornwall Live
Cornwall Council's corporate finance committee endorsed the early stages of an International Strategy aimed at raising Cornwall's global profile, attracting inward investment, and boosting tourism and student appeal.
Coverage from cornwalllive.com, devonlive.com, plymouthherald.co.uk. May not be exhaustive.
Paul Ashton represents the St Austell Poltair & Mount Charles ward as a member of Reform UK. He attended 40 out of 51 meetings, resulting in a 78% attendance rate, which triggers a low attendance flag. No conduct cases have been recorded against him, and there is no expense data available. There are no media mentions associated with him.
Ashton was re-elected in 2025 with a majority of 306 votes, or 18.82% of the vote share, a margin that widened by 1.4 percentage points compared to the previous election. The ward recorded a low turnout of 31.13% in that election.
Generated by AI from public data. May contain errors.
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