Reform councillors walk out in protest at new Ashfield Council leader choice

Reform councillors on Ashfield Council walked out of a full council meeting in protest after Coun Samantha Deakin was elected unopposed as the authority’s new leader.

Coun Deakin (Ash Ind) takes over from Coun Jason Zadrozny, who resigned as leader and as a member of the Ashfield Independents after being found guilty of fraud and tax evasion at Northampton Crown Court on September 21.

Reform councillors and supporters outside Ashfield Council after walking out of the meeting in which the new leader was chosen. Photo: Submitted

placeholder image — Reform councillors and supporters outside Ashfield Council after walking out of the meeting in which the new leader was chosen. Photo: Submitted

He remains, for now, a councillor, although he has faced calls to quit that role too.

Zadrozny’s fraud offences involved the Ashfield Heritage Society, which received £9,100 of public money between 2018 and 2021, and the Classic Cinema Club, which received £1,200 in the same period.

The funding came from a Nottinghamshire Council fund for good causes, but the prosecution said the 46-year-old set up the Ashfield Heritage Society as a ‘front’ to pocket money for himself.

At the full council meeting, 21 of the remaining Ashfield Independents on the council voted for Coun Deakin to succeed Coun Zadrozny as leader with one abstaining.

But angry Reform members and supporters had already walked out of the meeting during the debate in protest.

Outside, Coun Dawn Justice (Ref) who represents Underwood on the district council and Selston on Nottinghamshire Council, said the council had missed the chance to turn over a new leaf and said Coun Deakin should not have been chosen as she had been part of the investigations into Zadrozny.

Coun Deakin was arrested – but not charged – during the investigation and later gave testimony at Zadrozny’s trial.

Coun Justice said: “When I came along (on the evening) with my fellow councillors, we were hoping to take part in a full council meeting, only to find out when we got there that the person who’d been nominated to be the new leader of the council was, in fact, someone who was part of the fraud investigations, the person donated to the Ashfield Heritage Society and also was arrested in connection with the allegations.

"We feel she was complicit in what was happening and she is not suitable as the new leader.

"We believe Ashfield Council really needs to turn over a new leaf with the Reform group.”