Ten Ashfield Independent councillors have quit the party this week following the former leader's fraud conviction. Jason Zadrozny was accused of setting up a fake heritage group to defraud Nottinghamshire County Council out of thousands of pounds and was found guilty last month. He resigned as leader of Ashfield District Council the following day, but was later given a seat on the authority's planning committee.
As of Thursday, 13 councillors are sitting as non-aligned independents, while 18 Ashfield Independents remain, meaning the party is one councillor away from losing its majority. Prosecutors also alleged that Zadrozny had failed to pay tax on four rental properties. The 46-year-old, who served as an Ashfield Independents councillor on the county council, was found guilty of nine counts of fraud and four counts of tax evasion.
Councillors Warren Nuttall and Kier Barsby had quit the group prior to this week. One of the 10 members to quit this week is John Wilmott, a cabinet member who is also a Nottinghamshire county councillor for Hucknall North. Another is the chairman of the council, Dale Grounds.
Councillor Matt Relf, executive lead member for growth, regeneration and local planning, said quitting the party was an "enormously upsetting" decision. "The understandable controversy around Jason's conviction and the choices he made that led to that have upset and surprised a lot of people in the group," he said. "With the election of a new leader we hoped that would put everything behind us, but unfortunately the decision to appoint Jason back on to the planning committee was just a step too far.
"That decision was made with no consultation with the broader group. "To stay true to our principles of integrity and democratic accountability I was left with no option but to leave, and I think others have reached the same conclusion." Hucknall Central councillor Lee Waters, who was another one of the councillors to quit this week, said his decision "follows a period of reflection, and I believe the time is right to move on". "Throughout my time as a councillor, my priority has been to listen to residents, address their concerns and work hard on the issues that matter to our community.
That remains unchanged," he added. "I will continue carrying out my council responsibilities and dealing with ongoing casework with the same commitment and dedication as always." Samantha Deakin has taken over as leader of the council, but has so far declined the BBC's request for an interview. The councillors who have quit the Ashfield Independents are: Tell us which stories we should cover in Nottingham Listen to BBC Radio Nottingham on Sounds and follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, external, on X, external, or on Instagram, external.
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