Jason Zadrozny has stood down as leader of Ashfield District Council and left the Ashfield Independents after being convicted of nine fraud offences and four counts of fraudulently evading income tax.
The 46-year-old was found guilty at Northampton Crown Court on Monday, prompting the authority to begin arrangements for a successor. Zadrozny has not resigned as a councillor.
Council to appoint a new leader
Ashfield District Council confirmed on Tuesday that it was examining the governance process required to choose a replacement. It said the election of a new leader would be arranged as quickly as possible, while stressing that day-to-day services would not be affected.
A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the reports that Councillor Jason Zadrozny is stepping down as leader of the council and as a member of the Ashfield Independent Group.
“The council is looking at governance options that would elect a new leader as soon as possible.
“We will confirm details once those arrangements are in place. In the meantime, all council services will continue uninterrupted.”
Zadrozny’s departure ends his tenure at the head of the authority, but he remains an elected member. The council must now navigate the formal process for selecting a new leader while the case proceeds towards sentencing.
What prosecutors alleged
The conviction follows a four-week trial in which prosecutors alleged that Zadrozny created Ashfield Heritage Society as a sham organisation and used it to obtain public money. The society was established in February 2018, more than a decade after he was first elected to both Ashfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council in 2007.
Jurors were told that money allocated to the society was subsequently withdrawn in cash. They also heard that Zadrozny, who worked as a landlord, failed to pay tax on income generated by four properties.
Opening the prosecution case, James Varley KC said Ashfield Heritage Society did not exist as a genuine body.
“He told the council ‘this is a genuine organisation, they need some funds’ and they gave him some funds, but it was a scam,” Mr Varley told the court.
Zadrozny denied keeping the money for himself. He told jurors that funds connected to the society had been passed to Tony Brewer, a former chairman of Ashfield District Council, to pay for repairs to war memorials. Brewer died from Covid in 2020.
The Crown disputed that account. Prosecutors said cash allocated to the heritage society was withdrawn by Zadrozny, while a separate Classic Cinema Club he created was probably legitimate when established but later became a source of misappropriated funds.
The jury cleared Zadrozny of three additional fraud charges.
Cash withdrawals under scrutiny
Court heard that £9,100 was taken in cash from the Ashfield Heritage Society account. A further £1,200 was withdrawn from the cinema club’s account.
Both organisations had received money through the councillors’ divisional fund administered by Nottinghamshire County Council. The fund is intended to support worthwhile local causes rather than provide personal spending money for councillors.
The tax allegations centred on rental income from four properties. Zadrozny was convicted of four counts of fraudulent evasion of income tax after jurors rejected his defence over the undeclared earnings.
The verdict brings to a close the trial phase of a case that has drawn scrutiny over how publicly allocated funds were monitored and spent.
Political reaction and possible prison sentence
Senior political figures responded to the conviction with calls for accountability. Robert Jenrick, the Reform UK MP for Newark, described Zadrozny as “the biggest stain on Nottinghamshire politics for a decade”.
Ashfield MP Lee Anderson, who had already demanded that Zadrozny stand down, said: “He is a disgrace to our area and I feel for the thousands of people who put their trust in him at the ballot box – they were quite clearly duped by a sinister and manipulative con artist.”
Zadrozny had previously represented the Liberal Democrats before standing in parliamentary elections for the Ashfield Independents. His resignation from the party adds to the political upheaval surrounding the verdict.
After the jury returned its decision, Judge David Herbert KC warned Zadrozny that an immediate prison sentence remained possible. The judge’s remarks underline the seriousness with which the court views the offences, although the final penalty will be determined at sentencing.
Why it Matters
The case strikes at the heart of public trust: local residents entrusted Zadrozny with elected office, while public funds intended for community benefit were allegedly diverted through organisations they believed to be genuine. Ashfield District Council now faces the immediate task of replacing its leader without disrupting services, even as the criminal justice process moves towards a sentence that could include imprisonment. The outcome will test both the resilience of local governance and the safeguards surrounding money allocated for good causes.
