Tom Hollis: Hot tub row councillor removed as deputy leader

Councillor Tom Hollis has been removed as deputy leader following guilty verdicts in two trials

A deputy council leader found guilty of harassment and a driving offence has been removed from his position.

Ashfield District Council leader Jason Zadrozny said Tom Hollis's senior role was "no longer tenable" after guilty verdicts in two trials.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of harassment of his neighbours following a row over a hot tub in May 2020.

He was also convicted of careless driving after driving at speed through a 30mph (48km/h) zone.

Hollis, from the Ashfield Independents, will remain as a councillor for the Huthwaite and Brierley ward.

On Thursday, the councillor was convicted of two counts of harassment of his next door neighbours after they alleged he was hosting council meetings from his hot tub.

The district judge at Nottingham Magistrates' Court concluded the meetings in the hot tub did not happen but found Hollis verbally abused the pair and falsely claimed he was being threatened with a "one-and-a-half-foot carving knife" in 2020.

On Friday, Hollis was convicted of driving without due care and attention at the same court after travelling between 60 and 70mph in a traffic calming area.

The court heard he had been returning home from bingo in a Range Rover when two police officers in an unmarked vehicle spotted the defendant travelling at high speed along Outram Street in Sutton-in-Ashfield in September 2020.

'A distraction'

Council leader Jason Zadrozny praised Hollis for the work he had done since he was elected but conceded his convictions were now a "distraction".

"Following the verdict last week on councillor Hollis and his announcement of his decision not to fully appeal - I have taken the decision to remove Tom from his position of senior responsibility within Ashfield District Council, dismissing him as deputy leader of the council.

"I have never had in any doubt Tom's commitment to the people of Ashfield particularly his passion for Carsic, Huthwaite and Sutton. He has an incredible work rate and his track record of delivering positive outcomes for the residents from his area and the wider Ashfield community.

"The reality is however that his position as deputy leader of Ashfield Council is no longer tenable," Mr Zadrozny said.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Hollis said: "I'm going to stick to my constituency work for a couple of weeks.

"I probably won't be attending meetings either because I will be a distraction. I will be considering where I want to go in the future during this time.

"I care about what I do and I'm upset about losing the deputy leadership, but I understand actions do have consequences.

"With regards to whether I remain as a councillor, I need to think about where I go from here and have a few weeks to clear my head."