Bernard Barnes was Maria Connor's opponent in a council by-election of March 2022 in which she stood on an environmental platform while he extolled the needs of businesses to be given a higher priority over green matters.
Maria organised a photo opportunity in Victoria Gardens for a tree planting but Bernard appeared to have caught wind of the event and turned up with two celebrities, namely James Bailey and Ashley Hardcastle of Weatherfield County FC. Bernard made a short statement to the players in which he said that his measures would mean that kids would have somewhere to play and have a kick-about. The press's attention swung to him and the players and they took pictures as he garbled out meaningless platitudes about working together.
Maria was concerned that Bernard's cheap tactics would ensure a win for him but help came in the form of Phill Whittaker who also worked on the council in planning. He handed her a confidential report from two years before in which a confidential report from two years before which Bernard had helped to suppress proving that the council were covering up the dangers of local air pollution increasing as a result of a new planned bypass. Maria found Bernard being interviewed by Weatherfield Gazette journalist Chris Golding in the Viaduct Bistro where she appeared to be deeply unimpressed by his blather. Maria handed the report to Chris, who instantly made it clear that her sympathies were with Maria and asked for a comment from the cornered man. He walked out with a snide dig at the Gazette and Chris was later to report to Maria that the story would be up on the website within the hour.
Soon afterwards Bernard returned to the bistro to collect an item he left behind and saw Maria and Phill together, recognising the man. Maria won the election, but Bernard ensured that Phill lost his job for the leak.