Jason Zadrozny
In 2007, he first became Leader of the Council as a Liberal Democrat, becoming the youngest council leader in the United Kingdom at that time, aged 26. Labour took back control at elections in 2009, but in 2018 Zadrozny regained the position as an Ashfield Independent.
He is also a member of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Early life
Zadrozny was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire and is of Polish descent. He grew up in Kirkby-in-Ashfield attending Greenwood Primary School, Ashfield Comprehensive School, and West Nottinghamshire College, where he completed a BTeC National Diploma in Performance Art. He then obtained a Higher National Diploma in Theatre Studies from the college in 2002.
Political career
In March 2007, standing as a Liberal Democrat, Zadrozny won a by-election to Nottinghamshire County Council in the Sutton-in-Ashfield North division, with a 44% swing to his party and a 60% increase in the vote share. Two months later, also in Sutton-in-Ashfield North, he won a seat on Ashfield District Council, and the Liberal Democrats became the largest party.
Zadrozny was then Leader of Ashfield District Council from May 2007 until May 2009. In that role, he promoted Community Asset Transfers of two local buildings, the Acacia Centre in Annesley and the Manor Rooms in Teversal. His administration launched proposals for a Neighbourhood Charter of environmental pledges and the creation of new community protection services. It opened a new Lammas leisure centre in Sutton-in-Ashfield.
In May 2009, Labour took back control of Ashfield District Council and regained the leadership. In June 2009, Zadrozny held his County Council seat in the 2009 Nottinghamshire County Council election.
At the 2010 general election, Zadrozny stood as a Liberal Democrat for the parliamentary seat of Ashfield, losing to Labour's Gloria de Piero by 192 out of 48,196 votes cast, one of the closest results in the country, after the second biggest swing of the General Election.
He was re-elected to Ashfield District in 2011 and to the County Council again at its 2013 election.
In 2015, following his suspension as a member of the Liberal Democrat Party, Zadrozny left the party and was elected as an Independent for a newly created district council ward, Larwood. In November that year he formed the Ashfield Independents.
At the 2016 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections, Zadrozny stood for the elected position of Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner. He announced his candidacy to highlight his belief that he was victim of a politically motivated attack, relating to his arrest and questioning over child sex allegations, charges which were subsequently dropped. Zadrozny lost his £5,000 deposit, after receiving 7,164 votes (4.2%).
In May 2017, Zadrozny was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council for the new Ashfields Division as an Ashfield Independent. In that election, his party fielded candidates in five county divisions and won all five. In October 2017, there was a council by-election in Hucknall North, where his party gained the seat after the Conservative incumbent, Ben Bradley, was elected as member of parliament for Mansfield at the general election in June and resigned his council seat. In the Sutton Junction and Harlow Wood by-election of December 2018, his party won again, with 82% of the votes.
In 2018, eight councillors defected from the incumbent Labour administration to the Ashfield Independents, and Zadrozny was once again elected as Leader of Ashfield District Council. His policies include the construction of a new leisure centre with swimming pools for Kirkby-in-Ashfield, restoration of the town clock and community spring clean events.
In May 2019, Zadrozny‘s position at Ashfield District Council was secured when his new political party won all but five seats on the council.
He stood for parliament again for the seat in the 2019 general election, standing for the Ashfield Independents. He came second with 27.6% of the vote.
Zadrozny has stated that he voted for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union in the 2016 membership referendum and later advocated leaving the EU as soon as possible.
In December 2023, he announced he would run again against Lee Anderson in the 2024 general election.
Zadrozny is a member of the Local Government Association’s Fire Commission and its Resources Board.
Personal life
In 2017 Zadrozny appeared before Nottingham Crown Court charged with child sex allegations. The Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence and the charges were dismissed.
In 2022 Zadrozny married his boyfriend.
In 2023 Zadrozny was charged with 12 counts of fraud by false representation, four counts of income tax evasion and possession of cocaine. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and the matter is awaiting trial before the Crown Court. At a court hearing in October 2023, the judge agreed with the defence's request to move the trial away from Nottinghamshire. Subsequently, a date starting in late February 2025 was decided for the trial to be held in Northampton.