Ex-Hucknall councillor blasts district and county Ashfield Independents' 'spread of misinformation'

Kevin Rostance has now urged the Independents – who hold all three Hucknall seats on Nottinghamshire Council – to focus on their responsibilities rather than misleading local residents.

His comments have come in the wake of recent claims in the last year by the Independents that both Hucknall Library and Hucknall Recycling Centre were at risk of closure—claims he says that have proven to be false.

He said: “It is deeply frustrating to see the Ashfield Independents resorting to tactics designed to instill fear in the community rather than concentrating on the real issues and doing the jobs they were elected to do.

"The misinformation being spread about Hucknall Library and the recycling centre is damaging and only serves to undermine the trust of the people of Hucknall.”

Back in 2022, the Independents group at County Hall said it had ‘concrete evidence’ discussions had taken place about relocating Hucknall library services from their current town centre location to the proposed new Cavell health centre for the town.

However, this did not happen and with the health centre plans on ice after NHS leaders said there was no new money for the scheme, Hucknall Library is now set to benefit from significant investment and will temporarily close for a period later this month for refubishment work, including installing much-needed toilet facilities after previous public toilets in the town were closed, a decision, Mr Rostance said, made by the then Labour-run council under the tenure of Coun John Wilmott, who is now an Ashfield Independent councillor.

Mr Rostance also took the opportunity to address the claims surrounding Hucknall Recycling Centre which he said the Ashfield Independents suggested was at risk of closure following a review of the council’s services, sparking, he said, ‘unnecessary alarm among local residents’.

However, in a recent county council meeting, council leader Coun Ben Bradley (Con) confirmed there were no plans to close the Hucknall site.

Mr Rostance also highlighted the Independents’ recent response to his concerns about the road closures on Watnall Road.

Replying to your Dispatch, Coun Dave Shaw (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall West at County Hall, said, he and fellow county councillors Lee Waters and John Wilmott had been ‘in daily dialogue’ with highways bosses about the ‘unacceptable delays to highways improvements across Hucknall’.

Mr Rostance said: “If that’s the case, why didn’t they keep residents informed?”

He continued: “These baseless claims by the Independents are not only untrue but completely irresponsible.

"They are causing needless anxiety for residents when, in fact, Hucknall is benefiting from key investments to maintain and improve public services.

“It’s time for the Independents to stop the scare-mongering and concentrate on making tangible improvements in Hucknall.

"Over the past three-and-a-half years, they have failed to deliver for the people they claim to represent.

"The people of Hucknall deserve better, and it’s time for action, not empty rhetoric.”

Responding, Coun Lee Waters said: “The last two times that Kevin Rostance has stood for election, he has been defeated.

"He now needs to be honest and state whether he plans to do so again.

"Instead of working with us to deliver the improvement Hucknall deserves, he is coming across as increasingly bitter.

"It was only last week that Ashfield Independent councillors were being praised for being outstanding advocates for Hucknall by senior NHS bosses.

“His latest criticisms are a blatant attempt to mislead residents and shows he is getting increasingly desperate.

"Yet again, he is putting party politics ahead of the people of Hucknall.

"Instead of criticising the Ashfield Independents, he should be congratulating us for protecting services in Hucknall that residents rely on.

“Earlier this year, we released official documents that proved categorically that the Conservative-run County Council was considering closing Hucknall tip to save £1.2m a year.

"His comments are an insult to the hundreds of Hucknall residents who signed not just our petition, but others aimed at protecting vital services like our recycling centres.

"When the Conservatives refused to commit to the future of Hucknall Library, and documents were released that showed that they were considering moving library services, the Ashfield Independents forced the Tories to commit to keeping all our libraries open and we can be proud of our part in delivering improvements to our library.

“Nottinghamshire Conservatives have let Hucknall down time and time again.

"The Tories have now been in charge at County Hall for close to a decade and you just have to look at the state of our broken roads and pavements to understand how Hucknall has been let down.

"Mr Rostance, who is becoming increasingly curmudgeonly, offers nothing positive to our town, knows this.

“The Ashfield Independents will not be distracted by Kevin Rostance’s negativity.

"We are in the process of delivering real improvements via our successful levelling up fund bid, have invested in our parks, protected our open spaces and are delivering for our town.

"If anyone should apologise, it is Kevin Rostance, who now spends his retirement talking Hucknall down.”