Opinion: 'Jason Zadrozny should be nowhere near public office'

This week we have had the revelation that the disgraced former leader of Ashfield District Council, Coun Jason Zadrozny, has been appointed by Ashfield Independent councillors to the authority's Planning Committee.

This means a criminal fraudster is now partly responsible for the development of our district.

This is at a time when there are planning applications pending such as the development of 84 dwellings in Teversal, of which the applicant company lists Zadrozny's former long-term deputy Coun Tom Hollis, as a person with significant control of the business.

I have harboured concerns about planning in the Ashfield district for some time.

Jason Zadrozny and the Ashfield Independents scrapped the emerging Draft Local Plan in 2018 and promised to replace it with a new one. They eventually did, but it was so bad that the Government rejected it.

Meanwhile, without a Local Plan, Ashfield has become a free-for-all for developers and therefore vulnerable to unwanted developments.

With that said, there have been a number of controversial planning decisions made in recent years.

These include permission granted for the development of a dog breeding and cattery facility by Coun Tom Hollis, despite one of his many convictions including being in charge of dangerously out of control dogs. This application passed despite 298 resident objections.

There have been a number of situations where planning officers have recommended refusal of applications, only for the councillors on the committee to overrule them and grant the application.

I have this week written to the Government highlighting these concerns and once again urged them to intervene.

This is particularly important given that Councillor Zadrozny, a convicted fraudster, is now sat on the Planning Committee.

To say that this is a shocking situation is a huge understatement.

Councillor Zadrozny should be nowhere near public office, let alone sat on the council's Planning Committee.

A number of whistleblowers have come forward from Ashfield District Council.

These are members of staff that work incredibly hard but have reached out to me as they feel let down by the current leadership of the council.

They feel that they have been trapped in an environment that they are very uncomfortable with, but do not feel that they have a voice to speak out against.

I'd like the staff at Ashfield District Council to know I am on your side, you have my support, and I will do my best in the coming months and especially next May to get rid of the virus that has infected Ashfield District Council.

Only Reform UK can beat the infamous Ashfield Independents, as last years' county elections have proved.

If we take over the council next May, every department will be forensically analysed.