Barry is currently the leader of Derbyshire County Council, having been elected to this role in May 2017 and just prior, and overlapping, he was the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association Chief Executive (now WineGB). Barry was first elected to Derbyshire in 2009. He owns a small Derbyshire vineyard, which is becoming something of a small tourist attraction and a couple of holiday cottages.

He holds a degree in Archaeology and Environment from the University of Wales, Lampeter, and a Master’s degree in Archaeology and Heritage Management.

Barry was the Cabinet Member for Young People in Derbyshire County Council between 2010-13. He has also been a Local Government Association Culture, Tourism and Sport Board member since 2014, using his heritage and tourism skills and experience there. Barry is a District Councillor and Cabinet member at North East Derbyshire District Council too. Also, he was a Constituency Officer for an East Midlands MEP for a couple of years.

Before politics, Barry was an archaeologist and researcher for nearly 20 years, especially in the field of rock-art and  delivered a successful field school in Malaysia with the University of Nottingham. He also wrote ‘Hunting in Britain: from the Ice Age to the Present’ published by The History Press in 2009, plus numerous articles for books and journals – also book reviews. Until May 2013 Barry was a Chairman of Creswell Heritage Trust (a now world famous Ice Age site).

Before returning to education and then archaeology, he had a whole range of local jobs including working at Derby Pottery, where his father worked for 43 years until his retirement and even did a stint as a chocolate packer in Thorntons in Belper one summer.

Barry is the son of profoundly deaf parents, and suffers a few hearing related issues himself being totally deaf in one ear and with a mild/moderate loss in the other. Some might say this is ideal for a heated debate in the local political arena – he couldn’t possibly comment. Barry is also the father of a child that is also deaf and is a cochlear implant user. So deafness is an issue that he is particularly exercised about.

Barry's hobbies include wine, walking and fencing (epee) – although not necessarily in that order – or at the same time!