Former leader who defrauded authority steps down as councillor

Cllr Jason Zadrozny was found guilty of nine counts of fraud and four counts of tax evasion in September. He is set to be sentenced later this month.

His resignation comes amid a Government decision to launch a 'rapid' best value assessment of the local authority after MPs raised concerns about a decision to appoint Zadrozny's to the council’s planning committee in the wake of his conviction.

The council confirmed on Thursday that Zadrozny had formally resigned.

In a statement published online, a council spokesperson added: "Under national electoral law, no by-election will be held before the scheduled local elections on 6 May 2027.

“Some residents may ask why a by-election is not being held. This is not a decision made by Ashfield District Council.

"The rules are set out in national electoral law, which means as the elections are less than six months away, no by-election will take place before the scheduled local elections on 6 May 2027."

Ashfield said the councillor position will remain vacant until the elections are held.

According to the BBC, in an email sent to councillors Zadrozny said: "I want to offer my heartfelt thanks, apologies, and very best wishes to every officer and member with whom I have worked over these past 19 and a half years."

At the Crown Court in September, Zadrozny was told that his conviction carried a risk of a custodial term.

Describing the offences at the time, the Crown Prosecution Service said Zadrozny had applied for grants using the Ashfield’s councillors’ discretionary fund, a small budget allocated to councillors to support community organisations.

He sought funds to benefit the Ashfield Heritage Society, with a stated purpose of looking after war memorials, and persuaded other councillors from his Ashfield Independents party to allocate their budgets to this organisation.

The CPS said he then applied for a further grant for Ashfield Heritage Society in 2021, and for a group calling itself the Classic Cinema Club.

“In total he dishonestly secured £6,200 from the local authority,” the CPS said.

Earlier this month, local MPs Lee Anderson MP (Reform UK) and Michelle Walsh MP (Labour) called for a police investigation into the local authority's planning department and its contract procurement processes.

The pair also raised concerns about Zadrozny's appointment to the planning committee.

Adam Carey