The Ashfield Independents are a political party in the Ashfield District in Nottinghamshire, England.

In 2017, the Ashfield Independents stood candidates in the Nottinghamshire County Council elections. They won five seats.^[1]

A month later, Gail Turner ran for the party in the 2017 general election and gained 9.2% of the vote with 4,612 votes, receiving the second-highest vote share of an independent candidate in England; however, Labour retained the seat.^[2]

The party won two by-elections to Ashfield District Council in 2017 and 2018 in the Hucknall North^[3] and Sutton Junction & Harlow Wood wards.^[4]

In 2019 the party stood candidates across Ashfield District Council and won 30 of the 35 seats, taking overall control of the authority.^[5] The party also stood candidates in the neighbouring Broxtowe Borough Council, winning a single seat.^[6] In addition the party won control of Annesley and Felley Parish Council.

In July 2019, party leader Jason Zadrozny announced that he would be a candidate for the Ashfield constituency when the next general election was held.^[7] The election came in December 2019 and Zadrozny came second with 27.6% of the vote.

In the 2021 local elections across the UK, the party won an increased 11 seats on Nottinghamshire County Council, winning every seat in the Ashfield District.^[8]

in the 2023 Ashfield District Council election, the party increased their majority by two seats on the Ashfield District Council, taking a seat each off of the Tories and Labour, for a total seat count of 32.^[9][10]

In November 2022 Zadrozny and five other Ashfield Independent Councillors were arrested for fraud, election offences, money laundering and misconduct in public office.^[15]

On 23 June 2023, Zadrozny was charged with 22 offences including 12 counts of fraud by misrepresentation, five counts of money laundering, four counts of income tax evasion, and possession of a Class A drug.^[16]

The fraud by false representation charges relate to the alleged misuse of Nottinghamshire County Council funds between 14 February 2018 and 16 February 2021.^[17]

As part of the same investigation, Tom Hollis was charged with two offences for allegedly failing to declare his disclosable pecuniary interest in a property, between 30 May 2019 and 10 September 2021.^[17] A spokesperson for the Ashfield Independents said both Zadrozny and Hollis "absolutely deny" the charges and "look forward to clearing their name".^[16] Hollis subsequently pleaded guilty.^[18]

• Ashfield District Council elections
• Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)