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Richard Barker
Reform UKSt Newlyn East, Cubert & Goonhavern
cllr.richard.barker@cornwall.gov.uk01637 226195
Data last refreshed:
Richard Barker serves as a Reform UK councillor for the St Newlyn East, Cubert & Goonhavern ward on Cornwall Council. He holds membership on several standing committees, including the Audit Committee, the Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and the Pensions Committee, as well as being a member of the full Cornwall Council body.
During the reporting period Barker attended 11 of 15 council meetings, giving an attendance rate of 73.3 %. One conduct case was recorded against him, but it did not result in a breach of the council’s code of conduct. No expense data has been reported for the councillor. The council’s monitoring system flagged two issues: low attendance and a twitter‑related controversy. In the most recent election he was returned with 647 votes, a majority of 119 votes (5.73 %) over the Liberal Democrat opponent, and a swing of approximately 2.86 % would be sufficient to change the result.
Generated by AI from public data. May contain errors.
News coverage
Coverage from cornwalllive.com, devonlive.com, plymouthherald.co.uk. May not be exhaustive.
Red Flags
Low Attendance22 Mar 2026
Attended 1 of 2 Pensions Committee meetings (50%), below the 60% threshold.
twitter_controversy17 May 2026
Mentioned in tweet with 52 engagements: "More on Reform UK’s new Councillor Barker. @reformparty_uk must suspend him. ht..."
Code of Conduct
CCN050 25 26Minor
6 Jun 2025The complainant alleged that Councillor R Barker's register of interest incorrectly listed a land lease with Tregothnen Estate instead of Trewithen Estate, suggesting a breach of the Code of Conduct. The investigation found the error was not made by the councillor and no breach was demonstrated, so the complaint was rejected.
Outcome: no breach
Conflicts of Interest
Penhallow House Ltddirectorship· Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Running a hospitality business could create conflicts when reviewing corporate performance measures related to tourism promotion or planning enforcement.
Penhallow House Ltddirectorship· Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Operating a commercial glamping business creates potential conflicts when scrutinizing council budgets for tourism, planning, or hospitality sector support.
Vodafone UKemployment· Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee
As a Vodafone employee, the councillor could influence corporate procurement decisions that might favor his employer in telecommunications contracts.
Vodafone UKemployment· Budget Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee
As a Vodafone employee, the councillor has financial interests in telecommunications infrastructure decisions that could benefit his employer over competitors like EE, BT, or Three.
Election History
VulnerableScore: 66/100→ Stable
Won by 119 votes (5.7%)2.9% swing needed to unseat
Councillor Richard Barker was elected with 647 votes, holding a 119‑vote majority (5.73%) over the Liberal Democrat candidate. A swing of roughly 2.86 % would be enough to overturn his lead, and the margin has narrowed by 6.8 percentage points compared with the previous election, with turnout at 38.06 %.
Cornwall Council Elections 2025 (2025)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Charles Stuart Barker | Reform UK | 647 | 31.2% | ✓ |
| Howard Farmer | Liberal Democrat | 528 | 25.4% | |
| Adrian Harvey | Independent | 318 | 15.3% | |
| Ruth Jury | Conservative | 225 | 10.8% | |
| Robert James Cook | Green Party | 165 | 7.9% | |
| Alan Gordon Bowers | Independent | 99 | 4.8% | |
| Samuel Pritchard | Labour | 95 | 4.6% |
Turnout: 38.1% (2,077 of 5,457 electors) · 2 spoilt votes
Cornwall Council Elections 2021 (2021)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Harvey | Conservative | 913 | 46.6% | ✓ |
| Howard Farmer | Independent | 667 | 34.0% | |
| Peter Mewton | Green Party | 381 | 19.4% |
Attendance
73%overall attendance
| Committee | Held | Attended | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Cornwall Council | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| Pensions Committee | 2 | 1 | 50% |
Voting Record
No recorded votes.
In the News
No media coverage recorded.
Twitter Mentions
View all mentions →@reformexposed
More on Reform UK’s new Councillor Barker. @reformparty_uk must suspend him. https://t.co/FYwHyjZPdL
17 reposts35 likes
@reformexposed
Apparently David Barker has made a statement that he has provided documentation that shows he is not the same Barker that was convicted for domestic assault. Be clear, we have not published any posts asserting this as we could not verify the claim. But, we do still stand by the https://t.co/6tfyQ5EGRo
19 reposts70 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
Hi @Nigel_Farage and @reformparty_uk, notice your new councillor David Barker is still in position. We warned you about this candidate in March 2026. He has 4 kids to 3 different women and doesn’t see them. 2 were removed by social services. He created The Masked Truth, in https://t.co/SE05wknmib https://t.co/2wU6mslmMX
683 reposts1,630 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
Sunderland Reform councillor David Barker beat up his girlfriend and abused child https://t.co/bmqsaEHAoI
600 reposts1,190 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
Hi @AuLReform, do you agree with your candidate Sharon Barker, Droylsden West, Tameside, that Tommy Robinson deserves a knighthood? Does @Nigel_Farage? https://t.co/Log45CqQat https://t.co/STnSN2UdKE
47 reposts92 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
David Barker is confirmed as standing for Reform UK. What the actual… @reformparty_uk seriously concerning… https://t.co/2wU6mslmMX
60 reposts86 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
David Barker is Reform UK’s candidate in the Sunderland local elections. These allegations about him are quite concerning @ReformUKSun & @reformparty_uk. He set up a website and Facebook page called The Masked Truth, which claims to help members with social services and family https://t.co/btnH5N1cxL
205 reposts352 likes(probable match)
@reformexposed
It's not just Tommy Robinson, here he is sharing the content of Callaghan Barker "Lion of Epping", the self-proclaimed Nationalist. https://t.co/bNKc6P1vyY
2 reposts10 likes(probable match)
Embed this scorecard
Script tag
<script src="https://cornwallpoliticalwatch.com/api/embed/councillor/richard-barker"></script>Iframe
<iframe src="https://cornwallpoliticalwatch.com/embed/councillor/richard-barker" width="350" height="250" frameborder="0"></iframe>Meeting Activity
Pensions Committee - 12 March 2026
Present12 Mar 2026
Cornwall Council - 24 February 2026
Present24 Feb 2026
Apologies
Cornwall Council - 20 January 2026
Present20 Jan 2026
Audit Committee - 13 January 2026
Apologies13 Jan 2026
Pensions Committee - 10 December 2025
Apologies10 Dec 2025
Present
Cornwall Council - 25 November 2025
Present25 Nov 2025
Present
Cornwall Council - 16 September 2025
Present16 Sept 2025
Cornwall Council - 22 July 2025
Present22 Jul 2025
Cornwall Council - 20 May 2025
Apologies20 May 2025
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Cllr Richard Barker?
- Richard Barker is a Cornwall councillor representing the St Newlyn East, Cubert & Goonhavern ward as a Reform UK member.
- What ward does Richard Barker represent?
- Richard Barker represents St Newlyn East, Cubert & Goonhavern on Cornwall Council.
- What is Richard Barker's meeting attendance rate?
- Richard Barker has been recorded as present at 73% of Cornwall Council meetings (11 of 15 indexed by Cornwall Political Watch).
- How can I contact Richard Barker?
- You can contact Richard Barker by email at cllr.richard.barker@cornwall.gov.uk; by phone on 01637 226195. Cornwall Council also publishes contact details on the official members' page at democracy.cornwall.gov.uk.
- Are there any code-of-conduct cases involving Richard Barker?
- Cornwall Council's standards process has recorded 1 code-of-conduct case involving Richard Barker. Each case is publicly viewable; see the Code of Conduct section of this page for details.
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