The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council says the removal of Tom Hollis as one of its members will depend on how severe his court sentence is next month. Hollis has been dismissed as the deputy leader of Ashfield District Council after he was convicted of harassing two former neighbours and careless driving.
But the 29-year-old said he would not be resigning as a councillor at both Ashfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. The leader of the latter now says he feels "the same as everyone else does" about Tom Hollis but that a decision on his future will have to wait.
Sentencing on all of Tom Hollis' charges will take place on October 13. In the meantime, he still represents Huthwaite and Brierley on Ashfield District Council, and Sutton West on Nottinghamshire County Council.
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Responding to a question about whether Hollis would remain as a county councillor, Nottinghamshire County Council leader and Mansfield's Conservative MP Ben Bradley said: "There's a legal process we have to follow, and whether Councillor Hollis is removed from the council depends on the severity of his sentencing.
"We have to wait until that takes place in October, and then officers will take legal advice on what it all means. Unfortunately it's not within my gift to simply 'sack' councillors, as they're elected by the public and not by me.
"I know that may be stating the obvious, but I just want to be absolutely clear that whilst there is a legal process that decides whether Councillor Hollis is able to remain a councillor, I feel the same about the situation as everyone else does." Hollis said earlier this week that he hoped his reputation was not damaged "irrecoverably" by his court cases.
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