Emma Nishigaki is due to face a vote of no confidence at Evesham Town Council on Monday evening after a public petition signed by almost 750 people. The motion is believed to be the first of its kind in the authority's 421-year history, but government rules mean a passed motion would not remove her from office.
Evesham Town Council and the petition
Craig Reeves, a Wychavon district councillor, submitted the petition after months of personal allegations and commentary against him on Nishigaki's social media platforms. He said: "I began this petition after months of personal allegations and commentary against me on Councillor Nishigaki's social media platforms."
Reeves also said: "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."
The petition and the vote turn on Nishigaki's conduct and her use of Facebook live and TikTok. The council has no record of a previous no confidence vote in an elected member, and the authority dates back to 1605.
Emma Nishigaki's response
Nishigaki rejected the allegations and called the process a "witch hunt". She told the she intended to stand for re-election next year, and she said: "My fixations with truth and honesty, and openness should be an asset to the council,"
She also 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." She added: "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."
Last year's censure
Last year Nishigaki was formally censured by the town council after multiple complaints against her. An internal report said her behaviour was "wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with the standards required of all members". She made a public apology after the censure.
The no confidence motion is symbolic under government rules, so the council can record its view on her conduct without removing her seat. Monday evening's vote will show how far the complaint has spread inside the chamber, and whether Reeves's petition can gather enough support to harden into formal censure again.
