Ashfield council first of seven boroughs to officially vote against plans for a Unitary Authority

Ashfield District Council has become the first of seven boroughs and districts in Nottinghamshire to officially vote against plans for a Unitary Authority in the county.

In a motion proposed by Council Leader Jason Zadrozny, seconded by Kirkby Councillor Dale Grounds, the council officially confirmed its opposition to the Conservative plans. Opposition to a unitary authority is now official council policy.

The move came during a full council meeting on Zoom on Thursday night when councillors considered a motion to show its “strong opposition” to the abolition of Ashfield District Council, which has been existence for 46 years.

The council said would now be writing to the Nottinghamshire Council leader, Coun Kay Cutts and Anthony May, Chief Executive, as well as Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government outlining its “firm opposition” to scrap the district council and the six others.In a second motion, it also celebrated and praised the continuing work of council staff and volunteers during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The meeting heard that during the pandemic, the council had maintained a full bin collection service, its “Bag It” campaig during lockdown collected an additional 388 tonnes of waste, the ‘Skip into Summer’ initiative saw over 80 ‘flying skips’ travelled across the district over five consecutive Saturdays collecting general and garden waste and household objects. More than 154 tonnes of extra waste was collected as part of the campaign, on top of continuing to provide key services.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny said at the meeting: “The Ashfield Independents have always fought tooth and nail for a better deal from the County. It’s places like Ashfield and Mansfield that continue to be ignored by the Conservatives.

“That’s why, two years ago, when Tory Council Leader Kay Cutts last announced her plans to scrap councils like Ashfield we fought the plans and won. My county team and I embarked on a massive five hour, 4am early morning trek to County Hall – just to illustrate how remote West Bridgford is from Ashfield.

"At a time when Councils should be concentrating on the Recovery Phase of COVID – we are moving the deckchairs on the Titanic. The County Council has shown a woeful disregard for our borough and district councils.”

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