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.
Paul Ashton
Reform UKSt Austell Poltair & Mount Charles
cllr.paul.ashton@cornwall.gov.uk7943917918
Data last refreshed:
Paul Ashton serves as a Reform UK councillor for the St Austell Poltair & Mount Charles ward on Cornwall Council. In his capacity he sits on 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 itself, Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Standards Committee, Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, and the Audit Committee.
During the most recent reporting period Ashton attended 33 of 39 council meetings, giving an attendance rate of 84.6 %. No conduct cases have been recorded against him, and there is no expense data available for review. The only active red flag flagged to his record is a low‑attendance flag, reflecting the attendance percentage. He was re‑elected with 619 votes, a majority of 306 votes (18.82 % of the total) over the Liberal Democrat runner‑up, in a ward where voter turnout was 31.13 %.
Generated by AI from public data. May contain errors.
News coverage
View all 12 articles →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.
cornwalllive.com
Cornwall councillors kick back against maximum council tax rise - Cornwall Live
Cornwall councillors question proposed maximum 4.99% council tax increases, suggesting inflation-linked rises instead to help cash-strapped residents.
Coverage from cornwalllive.com, devonlive.com, plymouthherald.co.uk. May not be exhaustive.
Red Flags
Low Attendance10 Mar 2026
Attended 1 of 2 Audit Committee meetings (50%), below the 60% threshold.
Election History
CompetitiveScore: 53/100→ Stable
Won by 306 votes (18.8%)9.4% swing needed to unseat
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.
Cornwall Council Elections 2025 (2025)
| 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
Cornwall Council Elections 2021 (2021)
| 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% |
Attendance
85%overall attendance
| Committee | Held | Attended | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Cabinet | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Chief Officers Employment Committee | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Leadership Board | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| Cornwall Council | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| 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% |
Voting Record
No recorded votes.
In the News
No media coverage recorded.
Twitter Mentions
View all mentions →@reformexposed
Lee Moffitt is Reform UK's Wigan Central candidate. He's already a councillor. He's pledged to reduce the number of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in the borough, despite his own company being an estate agent managing and letting HMOs. It gets worse. Sam Ashton, https://t.co/3DBOhKcGkh
454 reposts777 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
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
13 reposts32 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
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
1 repost5 likes
Embed this scorecard
Script tag
<script src="https://cornwallpoliticalwatch.com/api/embed/councillor/paul-ashton"></script>Iframe
<iframe src="https://cornwallpoliticalwatch.com/embed/councillor/paul-ashton" width="350" height="250" frameborder="0"></iframe>Meeting Activity
Standards Committee - 30 April 2026
Present30 Apr 2026
Present
Apologies
Cornwall Council - 24 February 2026
Present24 Feb 2026
Standards Committee - 5 February 2026
Present5 Feb 2026
Present
Present
Cornwall Council - 20 January 2026
Present20 Jan 2026
Apologies
Audit Committee - 13 January 2026
Apologies13 Jan 2026
Cabinet - 17 December 2025
Present17 Dec 2025
Present
Present
Present
Present
Cornwall Council - 25 November 2025
Present25 Nov 2025
Present
Present
Audit Committee - 14 November 2025
Present14 Nov 2025
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Cllr Paul Ashton?
- Paul Ashton is a Cornwall councillor representing the St Austell Poltair & Mount Charles ward as a Reform UK member.
- What ward does Paul Ashton represent?
- Paul Ashton represents St Austell Poltair & Mount Charles on Cornwall Council.
- What is Paul Ashton's meeting attendance rate?
- Paul Ashton has been recorded as present at 85% of Cornwall Council meetings (17 of 20 indexed by Cornwall Political Watch).
- How can I contact Paul Ashton?
- You can contact Paul Ashton by email at cllr.paul.ashton@cornwall.gov.uk; by phone on 7943917918. Cornwall Council also publishes contact details on the official members' page at democracy.cornwall.gov.uk.
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