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 twelve-month collapse of the group, and the defections record. Read the Reform UK Cornwall investigation.
Data last refreshed:
Attendance
65%
present at meetings
Rank
78
of 88 councillors
Active red flags
1
open accountability flags
Conduct cases
0
no recorded cases
Attended 1 of 2 Audit Committee meetings (50%), below the 60% threshold.
| Committee | Held | Attended | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Cabinet | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Chief Officers Employment Committee | 9 | 6 | 67% |
| Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Leadership Board | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| Cornwall Council | 8 | 6 | 75% |
| Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Standards Committee | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education | 3 | 2 | 67% |
No recorded votes.
Councillor Paul Ashton was re‑elected with 619 votes, a majority of 306 votes (18.82% of the total) over the runner‑up Liberal Democrat candidate, in a ward with a 31.13% turnout. The seat would require a swing of roughly 9.4 percentage points for another party to unseat him, and his vulnerability score of 53 out of 100 places the division in the “competitive” range. Across Cornwall, Reform UK’s vote share rose by 29 percentage points, and the local margin widened by 1.4 percentage points compared with the previous election.
| 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% |
19 May 2026
6 May 2026
30 Apr 2026
21 Apr 2026
24 Feb 2026
5 Feb 2026
20 Jan 2026
13 Jan 2026
17 Dec 2025
No media coverage recorded.
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
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.
cornwalllive.com
Reform UK deputy leader in Cornwall defects to Restore Britain - Cornwall Live
Councillor Roger Tarrant resigned as Reform UK deputy leader in Cornwall and defected to Restore Britain party, citing "complete disarray.
cornwalllive.com
Cross-party tributes to Cornwall councillor who has died after fighting brain tumour - Cornwall Live
Cornwall councillor Kevin Towill, former Newquay mayor who defected from Conservative to Reform UK, has died at age 46 after battling brain tumour.
cornwalllive.com
Gender critical councillor challenges Cornwall Council over trans comment complaints - Cornwall Live
Cornwall Council hired an outside barrister after receiving ten complaints about Councillor Dulcie Tudor's trans-related comments and social media posts.
cornwalllive.com
New Reform UK leader says there's no crisis in Cornwall - it's just a blip - Cornwall Live
Councillor Paul Ashton, Reform UK's new Cornwall leader, says recent party troubles are just a "blip" and denies pressure from national leadership.
Coverage from cornwalllive.com, devonlive.com, plymouthherald.co.uk. May not be exhaustive.
Paul Ashton is a Reform UK councillor representing the St Austell Poltair & Mount Charles ward on Cornwall Council. He serves as a member of a range of committees, including the Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Chief Officers Employment Committee, Constitution and Governance Committee, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Leadership Board, Cornwall Council, Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Standards Committee, Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, and the Audit Committee.
During the reporting period, Councillor Ashton attended 35 of 45 council meetings, giving an attendance rate of 77.8 %. He has no recorded conduct cases and there is no expense data available for him. The only active red flag associated with his record is “low_attendance,” reflecting the attendance percentage noted above.
Generated by AI from public data. May contain errors.
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