A Nottinghamshire councillor who was convicted in court last year has once again been named as a deputy leader of his authority. Tom Hollis was sacked as the deputy leader of Ashfield District Council last September following a court case which found him guilty of harassing his neighbours and careless driving.
But following local elections on May 4, which saw Councillor Hollis being re-elected, the first full meeting of Ashfield District Council has now been held and the leadership team for the next four years has been confirmed. The election saw the Ashfield Independents increasing their majority, winning 32 of the 35 seats available.
The party's leader, Jason Zadrozny, has therefore been returned as Ashfield District Council's leader. The meeting on Thursday (May 26) also confirmed that Councillor Hollis would once again be serving as a deputy leader.
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When Councillor Zadrozny announced the dismissal of Councillor Hollis last year, he said in a statement that his position was "no longer tenable" and a "distraction from the incredibly positive work that Ashfield is doing." The court case last September resulted in Councillor Hollis being given a 12-month community order and being ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.
He also had six penalty points added to his licence and had to pay several fines. Speaking about his re-election in May, Councillor Hollis said: "I make mistakes like everybody and I think there should be more normal people in politics. We all make mistakes, but some of us get to do it in private - I don't get that luxury."
Councillor Hollis will be serving alongside Helen-Ann Smith as deputy leader. Councillor Hollis will also serve as lead member for housing and climate change, whilst Councillor Smith will serve as lead for community safety and crime reduction.
The leadership of all Nottinghamshire councils has now been confirmed following May's elections, which saw voting take place for all the county's seven district and borough authorities, alongside Nottingham City Council. The only change in council leadership was at Newark and Sherwood, where Tory losses mean a coalition has been formed between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Independents for Newark.
The leadership of Rushcliffe Borough Council was also confirmed at a meeting on Thursday, with Conservative Councillor Neil Clarke returning to lead the authority. Previous leader Simon Robinson announced that he was stepping down after six years in charge.
Councillor Clarke previously led Rushcliffe between 2005 and 2017, having first been elected as a councillor in 1986. He said: "I'm proud to again represent and lead Rushcliffe Borough Council. Having entered this new election cycle until 2027, we continue to face many challenges as an authority but also a great future in front of us as we deliver value services with one of the lowest council tax levels in the country.
"We must continue Rushcliffe's outstanding reputation as a superb council. A thank you to outgoing Leader Councillor Simon Robinson who presided over a successful six years in office and I will look to build further on some of the major projects of recent years, not least the new Bingham Arena leisure centre."
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