Jason Zadrozny

Introduction

Jason Bernard Zadrozny is a British local politician who dominated Ashfield politics for two decades, becoming Britain’s youngest council leader at 26, founding his own party and leading Ashfield District Council from 2018 until his conviction in September 2026. On 21 September 2026 a jury at Northampton Crown Court found him guilty of nine counts of fraud and four counts of income tax evasion, and acquitted him of three further fraud counts. Within a day he had resigned as leader and quit the Ashfield Independents group he created.

Background Information

Born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, on 20 July 1980, of Polish descent, he trained in theatre at West Nottinghamshire College. Elected to Nottinghamshire County Council at a March 2007 by-election and to Ashfield District Council two months later, he became the district’s leader that May, aged 26 — the youngest council leader in the country. Labour took control in 2009; in 2010 he missed the Ashfield parliamentary seat by 192 votes.

He left the Liberal Democrats in 2015 after a suspension and founded the Ashfield Independents that November; after eight Labour councillors defected he regained the leadership in 2018. He served nearly 20 years on the county council until losing his seat to Reform UK in May 2025, and stood for Parliament in 2010, 2019 and 2024. His 2016 run for police and crime commissioner followed a 2017 arrest over child-sex allegations on which prosecutors offered no evidence; the charges were dismissed. In 2023 he was charged with 12 counts of fraud by false representation, four of income tax evasion and one of cocaine possession; he pleaded not guilty, and at the defence’s request the trial was moved to Northampton Crown Court, opening on 24 August 2026 before a jury of eight men and four women. He had already said he would step away from politics when his term ends in 2028.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. Zadrozny’s convictions on nine counts of fraud and four counts of tax evasion were returned by a jury at Northampton Crown Court on 21 September 2026 and are a matter of court record; he was acquitted of three further fraud counts, and sentencing is pending. The cocaine possession charge referenced in pre-trial reporting did not form part of the jury’s verdicts recounted in these sources, and any conduct connected to the acquitted counts remains unproven.

The prosecution, led by James Varley KC, alleged that between 2018 and 2021 Zadrozny pocketed about £10,300 of Nottinghamshire County Council public money through two bodies he controlled. On 11 February 2018 he opened a bank account for the Ashfield Heritage Society; three days later he allocated £3,500 from his own divisional fund and £7,500 from those of fellow Ashfield Independent councillors. The application promised “a new society to support heritage projects in Ashfield” — £500 for a laptop and £7,000 to clean and repair war memorials — and gave the address “c/o 213 Forest Road”, which does not exist. The £7,500 went straight to Zadrozny and was withdrawn in cash; the court heard he requested “a big cheque for presentation purposes”; none was ever held or recorded.

The Classic Cinema Club, set up to screen old films including the Carry On series, received £1,200 in November 2018; per the court, it never held an event and the funds were later withdrawn. The tax counts alleged fraudulent evasion of income tax on rental income from four Ashfield properties between 2007 and 2022; the court heard that despite earning around £50,000 a year from his council roles, he lived beyond his means and was often in debt. Prosecutors also alleged £5,000 of the £9,100 paid to the society “may well” have helped fund a house purchase by deputy council leader Helen-Ann Smith; she denied it in evidence.

The defence, led by Sam Robinson KC, called the society a genuine enterprise whose war-memorial work was done by Tony Brewer, a former Ashfield council chairman who died of Covid in 2020; Robinson accused police of a “blinkered investigation” and asked jurors to set aside prejudices about politicians. Zadrozny testified that all the money went on the community, his paperwork was “terrible”, the address was “clearly an error”, and the £1,200 found in his home was cash from his safe. The fraud surfaced in March 2021 when Catherine Mason, hoping to stand for election in Ashfield, examined the council’s spending; the council investigated and passed the matter to police.

Public Reaction and Consequences

After 10 hours and 47 minutes of deliberation, the jury convicted him on nine fraud counts — five unanimously, four by an 11–1 majority — and on all four tax charges, while clearing him of three fraud counts. Judge David Herbert KC told him: “Absolutely uppermost in my mind is a custodial sentence. The breach of trust element makes them particularly serious.” For the Crown Prosecution Service, Janine McKinney said: “His web of lies, greed and manipulation has unravelled in the face of the evidence.”

The next day Zadrozny resigned as council leader and from the Ashfield Independents group. “I am deeply disappointed by the outcome, but I respect the court and the important role of the jury in our justice system,” he said, apologising to residents and council staff. He did not resign as a ward councillor, telling the BBC he was “considering things more deeply”. The council said it would elect a new leader as soon as possible; under government rules, a custodial sentence of three months or more — even suspended — disqualifies a person from holding or seeking council office for five years.

Current Status

As of 22 September 2026 Zadrozny remained a ward councillor — no longer leader or an Ashfield Independents group member — on unconditional bail. He is due to be sentenced on 27 November 2026, with the judge indicating an immediate custodial sentence is in mind; a term of three months or more would disqualify him from office.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A politician who survived losing the council in 2009, suspension from his original party and repeated ballot defeats — including the loss of his county seat to Reform UK in 2025 — is now out of the leadership and out of the party he founded. His plan to stand down in 2028 was overtaken by events; a custodial term of three months or more would end his council career.

Sources

BBC News, “Council leader found guilty of fraud and tax evasion,” Sep 21, 2026 — source
BBC News, “Council leader resigns after fraud conviction,” Sep 22, 2026 — source
Nottingham Post (via Yahoo News), “Nottinghamshire council leader Jason Zadrozny,” Sep 21, 2026 — source
Mansfield and Ashfield Chad, “Zadrozny found guilty of fraud and tax evasion following trial,” Sep 21, 2026 — source
The Independent, “Disgraced council leader resigns after he was found guilty of fraud,” Sep 22, 2026 — source
Wikipedia, “Jason Zadrozny” — source