Ashfield council deputy ‘proud of record’ as petition calls for his resignation after convictions

Coun Tom Hollis, who represents Huthwaite and Brierley for the Ashfield Independents, admitted three counts of being the owner of dogs that were dangerously out of control at a Mansfield Magistrates’ Court hearing on June 24.

They all related to incidents in Sudbury Drive and Kedlestone Close in Huthwaite on December 12 last year.

The 32-year-old councillor, of Yew Tree Drive in Huthwaite, also pleaded guilty to a fourth charge of obstructing a police officer at his home address on January 9 this year.

A petition, started by April Jones, reads: “Coun Hollis’s convictions not only tarnish the reputation of our local government but also undermine the principles of accountability and transparency we expect from our representatives.

“Ashfield is a vibrant community that thrives on mutual respect and the belief that our public officials should be held to the highest standards of conduct. Each of his convictions stands as a stark contrast to these values.

“We have the right to demand better.”

The petition calls upon Ashfield District Council “and related oversight bodies” to take action.

It had more than 200 signatures at the time of writing.

Responding to the petition Coun Hollis told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “People have voted for me time after time.

“It is a tough one for me and my family. Without me there would not be an Ashfield Show, an observatory, we’ve got the investment at Sutton Lawn.

“I am very proud and I think politics is very nasty now, and very personal.

“But the ultimate juror is the electorate and they keep voting me in.

“The population of Ashfield is more than 100,000. So 100,000 people have felt the need not to sign it.

“I’m proud of my record. I’m still doing [the job] because I care about where I live.”

Concerning the most recent dangerously out of control dogs conviction, Mr Hollis claimed a fence panel had blown down, and the dogs had only been out for “three or four minutes, wagging their tails”.

“Trying to say the dogs are dangerous is completely farcical,” he added.

It is not the first petition that has called for his resignation following a court appearance.

One, set up in May 2020, received more than 1,900 signatures.

The deputy leader was convicted of careless driving in September 2022, a day after being found guilty for harassing his neighbours in lockdown during the Covid pandemic.

He was removed as deputy leader by Coun Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind), the authority’s leader, who said at the time his deputy’s position was “no longer tenable”.

However Coun Hollis was reappointed following the group’s landslide 32-seat local election victory in May 2023.

Later, in February 2024, he was fined at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court for failing to declare a financial interest.

Ashfield District Council declined to comment.