Ashfield Independents | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Helen Smith |
| Treasurer | Thomas Hollis |
| Nominating Officer | Jason Zadrozny |
| Founded | 28 July 2016 |
| Headquarters | 84–86 Outram Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 4FS |
| Ashfield District Council [1] | 32 / 35 |
| Nottinghamshire County Council | 1 / 66 |
| Councils Controlled | 1 / 317 |
| Website | |
| ashfieldindependents.org | |
The Ashfield Independents are a political party in the Ashfield District in Nottinghamshire, England.
In 2017, the Ashfield Independents stood candidates in the Nottinghamshire County Council elections. They won five seats. [2]
A month later, Gail Turner ran for the party in the 2017 general election and gained 9.2% of the vote with 4,612 votes, receiving the second-highest vote share of an independent candidate in England; however, Labour retained the seat. [3]
The party won two by-elections to Ashfield District Council in 2017 and 2018 in the Hucknall North [4] and Sutton Junction & Harlow Wood wards. [5]
In 2019, the party stood candidates across Ashfield District Council and won 30 of the 35 seats, taking overall control of the authority. [6] The party also stood candidates in the neighbouring Broxtowe Borough Council, winning a single seat. [7] In addition the party won control of Annesley and Felley Parish Council.
In July 2019, party leader Jason Zadrozny announced that he would be a candidate for the Ashfield constituency when the next general election was held. [8] The election came in December 2019 and Zadrozny came second with 27.6% of the vote.
In the 2021 local elections across the UK, the party won an increased 11 seats on Nottinghamshire County Council, winning every seat in the Ashfield District. [9]
in the 2023 Ashfield District Council election, the party increased their majority by two seats on the Ashfield District Council, taking a seat each off of the Tories and Labour, for a total seat count of 32. [10] [11]
In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Zadrozny again ran in the Ashfield constituency and came third with a reduced vote share of 15.7%. [12]
There are 35 councillors in the Ashfield District Council, 32 of whom are members of the Ashfield Independents, as of 10 May 2025. [1] Councillor Dave Hennigan was elected in 2019 as an Ashfield Independent, but was expelled in May 2020 after disagreements with the rest of the party. [13]
| Councillor | Ward |
|---|---|
| John Baird | Summit |
| Kier Barsby | St Mary's |
| Jim Blagden | Hucknall Central |
| Christian Chapman | Jacksdale |
| Samantha Deakin | Central & New Cross |
| Dale Grounds | Kingsway |
| Arnie Hankin | Selston |
| Andrew Harding | Huthwaite & Brierley |
| Tom Hollis | Huthwaite & Brierley |
| Trevor Locke | Hucknall Central |
| Rachel Madden | Kirkby Woodhouse |
| Sarah Madigan | Leamington |
| Andy Meakin | Abbey Hill |
| Warren Nuttall | Summit |
| Matthew Relf | Sutton Junction & Harlow Wood |
| Dave Shaw | Hucknall North |
| John Smallridge | Carsic |
| Helen-Ann Smith | Stanton Hill & Teversal |
| David Walters | Ashfields |
| Lee Waters | Hucknall North |
| Caroline Wilkinson | The Dales |
| Daniel Williamson | Kirkby Cross & Portland |
| John Wilmott | Hucknall North |
| Jason Zadrozny | Larwood |
There was one councillor on Broxtowe Borough Council who is a member of the Ashfield Independents: [14]
| Councillor | Ward |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Williamson | Brinsley |
As of the 2025 County Council elections, the Ashfield Independents have just one 1 councillor on Nottinghamshire County Council (John Wilmott, Hucknall North), down from 10. [15] [16]
| Election | Candidate | Total votes | % | % in contest seat | Place in Ashfield | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Roy Adkins | 2,292 | 0.0% | 5.5% | 4th | |
| 2017 | Gail Turner | 4,612 | 0.0% | 9.2% | 3rd | |
| 2019 | Jason Zadrozny | 13,498 | 0.1% | 27.6% | 2nd | |
| 2024 | Jason Zadrozny | 6,276 | 0.0% | 15.7% | 3rd | |
In November 2022, Zadrozny and five other Ashfield Independent Councillors were arrested for fraud, election offences, money laundering and misconduct in public office. [17]
On 23 June 2023, Zadrozny was charged with 22 offences including 12 counts of fraud by false representation, five counts of money laundering, four counts of tax evasion, and possession of cocaine. [18]
The fraud by false representation charges relate to the alleged misuse of Nottinghamshire County Council funds between 14 February 2018 and 16 February 2021. [19]
As part of the same investigation, Tom Hollis was charged with two offences for allegedly failing to declare his disclosable pecuniary interest in a property, between 30 May 2019 and 10 September 2021. [19] A spokesperson for the Ashfield Independents said both Zadrozny and Hollis "absolutely deny" the charges and "look forward to clearing their name". [18] Hollis subsequently pleaded guilty. [20]
David Martin was amongst the Councillors arrested in November 2022. Whilst Martin was not charged in relation to the offences he was initially arrested for, he was charged with assaulting a police officer during his arrest. Martin chose to have his case heard in front of a jury at Crown Court. He initially pleaded not guilty at a pre-trial hearing, but changed his plea to guilty on 24 September 2024. [21] [22]
In 2017, Zadrozny appeared before Nottingham Crown Court charged with child sex allegations. The Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence and the charges were dismissed. [23]