Jason Zadrozny, the leader of Ashfield District Council, is on trial for allegedly creating a fake heritage society to steal public money. Prosecutors claim the Nottinghamshire councillor tried to shift the blame for missing funds onto a colleague who passed away in 2020.
The £7,500 grant and the non-existent 213 Forest Road
According to court proceedings, Jason Zadrozny established the Ashfield Heritage Society in February 2018 as a vehicle to acquire public grants. Just three days after opening a bank account for the group, Zadrozny applied for £7,500 in funding, which included £3,500 from his own allocation within the Councillors Divisional Fund. This fund is a £5,000 pot provided by the county council to representatives for supporting local causes.
The application for the Ashfield Heritage Society listed an address at 213 Forest Road, but prosecutors told the court that this location does not actually exist. the funds were allegedly earmarked for a new laptop and the cleaning of war memorials to mark the end of the First World War, yet the money was withdrawn in cash. In August 2018, Zadrozny reportedly requested an additional £1,600 for commemorative badges and poppies, which was also taken out in cash without any supporting records of expenditure.
Blaming the late Tony Brewer for missing memorial funds
To explain the disappearance of the cash, Jason Zadrozny claimed he had handed the money to Tony Brewer, a former Ashfield council chairman who died from Covid in 2020. Zadrozny told police that Brewer, whom he described as one of the "nicest people," used the funds to carry out maintenance on local war memorials. However, Zadrozny admitted to officers that no records were kept of how the money was spent.
The prosecution presented a note recovered from Zadrozny's phone, which James Varley,the prosecutor, described as a "first stab" at distancing the councillor from the fraud. The note suggested that Brewer's heartfelt work should not be tarnished, despite the fact that Zadrozny omitted his own role in banking and withdrawing the cash. This narrative was further challenged by Patricia Percival, Brewer's partner of over thirty years, who told the court she was deeply upset by the attempt to implicate her late partner in the scheme.
A £50,000 salary and the purchase of a shared house
The financial motivations behind the alleged fraud center on Jason Zadrozny's personal debts and spending habits. As reported in the trial, Zadrozny earned £50,000 annually from his various councillor roles but was living beyond his means. Prosecutors argue that he created the non-existent Ashfield Heritage Society because he required a significant amount of money quickly.
This case reflects a broader pattern of financial instability and alleged misconduct .. Some of the cash siphoned from the fake society was allegedly used to help Zadrozny purchase a house alongside two other fellow councillors. This suggests that the alleged fraud was not an isolated incident of poor bookkeeping, but a calculated effort to fund a lifestyle and assets that his official salary could not support.
The Classic Cinema Club and the unnamed fellow councillors
Beyond the heritage society, Jason Zadrozny faces twelve counts of fraud and four counts of tax evasion related to four rental properties. The court also heard that Zadrozny allegedly set up a second fraudulent group called the Classic Cinema Club, ostensibly for fans of Carry On films, to illegally obtain cash.
Several critical details remain unverified or missing from the current reporting.. Specifically, the identities of the two fellow councillors who allegedly co-purchased a house with Zadrozny have not been disclosed. Furthermore, it remains unclear if the county council has conducted a full audit of other grants issued to the Ashfield District Council under Zadrozny's leadership to determine if other "ghost" organizations were used to divert public funds.
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