Under-fire councillor facing 'no confidence' vote

A Worcestershire councillor is facing a vote of no confidence - in what is believed to be a first in the authority's 421-year history.

Emma Nishigaki will face the vote in a meeting at Evesham Town Council on Monday evening, amid a series of grievances over her conduct.

It follows a formal request from Wychavon district councillor, Craig Reeves, who has submitted a public petition signed by almost 750 people.

Nishigaki said it was a "witch hunt" and told the BBC she intended to stand for re-election next year.

The row centres around Nishigaki's use of Facebook live and TikTok, where she is known for being very outspoken on issues in Evesham, as well as town council matters.

There has also been a history of altercations and spats at council meetings, including one incident where Nishigaki claimed she was attacked herself.

Last year, Nishigaki was formally censured by the town council after multiple complaints against her, with an internal report saying her behaviour was "wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with the standards required of all members", resulting in her making a public apology.

Reeves said: "I began this petition after months of personal allegations and commentary against me on Councillor Nishigaki's social media platforms.

"Enough is enough. This issue is bigger than one individual pursuit - it is time for our town to stand up for better standards of behaviour in public office."

Under government rules, a councillor cannot be removed from office if a no confidence motion is passed, meaning the vote is symbolic.

Reeves said he was hoping the publicity around the matter may help bring about a change in legislation in the future.

Nishigaki, who represents the Avon ward on the town council, said she was attempting to take out an injunction against Reeves, and denies acting inappropriately.

"My fixations with truth and honesty, and openness should be an asset to the council," she said.

"Right from the second meeting [since she was re-elected in 2023] they [other councillors] decided they were going to start attacking and abusing me, I was marginalised and ostracised.

"I have never abused or upset anybody in a council meeting - council meetings are streamed, you can see it's me who is spoken to [badly] in those meetings."

Evesham's council dates back to 1605, with no records existing of a previous no confidence vote in an elected member.

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