New Reform Hucknall councillor says the public 'needed change'

Prior to the poll on May 1, all 10 Ashfield seats at Nottinghamshire Council were held by the Ashfield Independents.

But that emphatically changed as Reform won nine Ashfield seats as the Indepdendents were all but wiped out.

One of the new Hucknall Reform councillors, Richard ‘Darro’ Darrington, who won Hucknall South, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s my first official count for me, I’ve enjoyed it and it’s been a great journey.

“We need change, the public are desperate for change, very quickly as well, for the county and at the national level.

“Hopefully this will be the start of it.”

Reform’s other Hucknall seat was won by Chris Adegoke in Hucknall West, pushing the Indepedents down into second place.

In total, Reform currently has 40 seats – and overall control of the council with a wide 23-seat majority, while the Conservatives will form the Oppositioj after they won 17 seats, while Labour won just four.

Two more seats, in the postponed Mansfield North division vote, will be decided in due course.

John Wilmott is the only Ashfield Independent left standing after he clung on to his seat in Hucknall North – holding off Reform’s Sean Neall.

The biggest Ashfield Independent casualty was party leader Jason Zadrozny, who was ousted in Ashfields, while other senior Ashfield Independents, including Tom Hollis, Helen-Ann Smith and the Hucknall pair of Lee Waters and Dave Shaw were also unshipped.

Mr Zadrozny – who remains leader of Ashfield Council – said he was ‘really disappointed’ to lose his county seat after 18 years.

He said: “I’ve been on the county council 18 years and I tried my best to do a good job.

“So personally, it’s a bit bruising.”

“Sometimes the big political parties take a tsunami – and that’s what’s been happening across the country.”

Ashfield’s Reform MP Lee Anderson said it was an ‘unbelievable feeling’ seeing his party win over the district.

He said: “We’ve been building our branch up, we’ve been campaigning, the hard work has paid off.

“People want real change, they want a little bit of honesty in politics.

“It’s democracy – the best people have won on the day.”