Outgoing Ashfield Independents councillor will not vote for party in May

Andrew Harding was elected to Ashfield Council in May 2019 as one of two candidates for the party in the Huthwaite and Brierley ward, alongside Coun Tom Hollis, former deputy leader of the authority.

Voters in the district will go to the polls again on May 4, 2023, to elect 35 new councillors onto the authority for the next four years.

However, Mr Harding has revealed he does not intend to support the party next month and that he also went against his own political group and also voted for an opposing party in the May 2021 Nottinghamshire Council elections.

He said: “I voted for Labour during the 2021 county council elections because I didn’t want to vote for Tom and the Ashfield Independents.

“Labour’s candidates for this year’s election have knocked on my door, asked if I’ve got any issues and they’re genuinely nice people.

“They want to help their community and, when they asked me if I planned on voting for them, I said ‘yes’. They are the only alternative we’ve got to the Ashfield Independents.”

Mr Harding has been replaced on the ballot sheet by new Ashfield Independents candidate Paul Grafton.

The Conservatives, Labour and the Ashfield Independents are all fielding two candidates each for the two-seat Huthwaite and Brierley ward.

On Mr Harding’s exit, the political group said this was a decision taken by its leader, Coun Jason Zadrozny, who was “not sorry to see him go”.

But the departing politician says he left the party after beginning to feel let down by the group since his 2019 election victory and stopped paying subscription fees last year because he got “nothing back” in return for his membership.

“In the lead up to and when we were first elected, they couldn’t do enough for you,” Mr Harding said.

“It was amazing when we got elected and it has been fantastic representing Huthwaite and Brierley, but now, all it’s about is leaflets, leaflets, leaflets.

“It’s all about getting the main group of councillors re-elected at any cost and it got to the point where I was getting nothing back from being in the party.

“I stopped paying my subscription fees last year because they never included me on any of their leaflets and told nobody about the hard work I was doing.”

He said the court convictions of Coun Hollis for harassment without violence and careless driving last autumn also affected his own reputation with residents.

In response, Coun Zadrozny said: “The Ashfield Independents have worked together and will finish the job of transforming Huthwaite and Sutton.

“We believe it’s critical to keep in touch with residents all year round.

“I’m not sorry to see him go – it was our choice because Huthwaite deserves so much better than he was able to provide.”

He also confirmed the party has instructed lawyers to take libel action against Mr Harding regarding separate allegations he made against the Ashfield Independents.

Other candidates in the Huthwaite and Brierley ward include Conservatives John Howlett and Graham Lynk.

Mr Howlett: “The residents of Huthwaite have watched how the Ashfield Independents have marred our town with incompetence. The time for change is now.

“The Conservatives promise to cut council tax for four years, protect our green spaces, reduce the cost of councillors, clean up our streets, sort out the council’s finances, and restore the council’s reputation with honesty and integrity.”

Labour’s two candidates are Stefan Lamb and Jane Lilliman.

Mr Lamb said: “Having spoken to many residents, we know the state of our roads and the cost of living are what people care about in this election.

“As your local councillors, we’ll report every pothole and chase up Nottinghamshire Council to ensure they act on it. We’ll demand monthly progress reports and speak up if it doesn’t meet our high standards.

“We also want to introduce a Value For Money audit across the council to get better value.

“For example scrapping the political advisor posts brought in by the Ashfield Independents would save more than £30,000 per year, with which we can fund free swimming lessons for children.

“Supporting families will be a priority for a Labour council.”

Mr Grafton said: “Tom and I are the only candidates who will work hard all year round to continue to make major changes in Huthwaite.

“We have already made major improvements to Brierley Park, Welfare Park and the park on Sudbury Drive.

“Tom and I stood shoulder to shoulder with residents and campaigned against 300 houses on Ashland Road West, with the council’s decision overturned by Conservative Government inspectors.

“As an ex-police officer, I have served residents for years and I would value the opportunity to continue working with Tom to make Huthwaite a better place.”

Huthwaite & Brierley ward candidates (two seats)

Paul Grafton, of Evans Avenue, Sutton – Ashfield Independents Working All Year Round;

Tom Hollis, of Yew Tree Drive, off Common Road, Huthwaite – Ashfield Independents Working All Year Round;

John Howlett, address in Ashfield area – Conservative;

Stefan Lamb, of Douglas Road, Sutton – Labour;

Jayne Lilliman, of Thoresby Crescent, Stanton Hill – Labour;

Graham Lynk, of Primula Grove, Kirkby – Conservative.