Evesham Town Council is set to consider a motion of no confidence against councillor Emma Nishigaki on Monday, October 12, 2026.
The motion follows complaints about her conduct and a public petition organized by Wychavon district councillor Craig Reeves.
The vote is believed to be the first of its kind in the council's 421-year history, though it cannot remove Nishigaki from office.
Reeves presented the petition to the council on September 28 with 736 signatures, according to the Evesham Observer.
The document called for Nishigaki to resign and urged councillors to debate whether she had met ethical standards expected of elected representatives.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p. m.
and is open to the public and press.
BBC reporting said the petition had attracted almost 750 signatures.
The dispute follows previous complaints about Nishigaki's behavior at council meetings and her use of Facebook Live and TikTok to discuss local issues.
The petition cited findings from a conduct investigation and a formal censure issued by the council in 2025.
An investigation through Wychavon District Council's Code of Conduct process concluded in May 2025 that Nishigaki had breached the councillor code in several respects.
The investigation followed complaints from three members of the public.
The council subsequently censured Nishigaki.
An internal report described her behavior as wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with standards required of council members, according to the BBC.
She made a public apology following the censure.
Reeves said his campaign followed months of personal allegations and commentary directed at him through Nishigaki's social media accounts.
"I began this petition after months of personal allegations and commentary against me on Councillor Nishigaki's social media platforms," Reeves said.
He argued that the dispute raised broader concerns about the conduct of elected officials and the standards expected in public office.
"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," Reeves said.
Reeves also told the BBC that he hoped public attention surrounding the motion could contribute to future legislative changes, since existing government rules do not allow councillors to be removed solely through a no confidence vote.
Nishigaki, who represents the Avon ward, rejects allegations of inappropriate behavior and describes the campaign against her as a witch hunt.
She told the BBC that she intended to seek an injunction against Reeves and planned to stand for reelection in 2027.
She defended her approach to council work by arguing that transparency and honesty were valuable qualities for an elected representative.
"My fixations with truth and honesty, and openness should be an asset to the council," Nishigaki said.
She also alleged that tensions with fellow councillors began shortly after she was reelected in 2023.
Nishigaki maintained that she had been marginalized and mistreated during council proceedings.
"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," Nishigaki said.
She disputed claims that she had mistreated others during formal meetings and pointed to publicly streamed council sessions as evidence of her account.
"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," Nishigaki said.
The Evesham Observer also reported an alleged altercation after a town council meeting on August 24 involving Nishigaki, the town clerk, another councillor and a member of the public.
Nishigaki denied inappropriate behavior in the market square, claimed she had been assaulted and said CCTV footage would support her account.
In earlier comments about the petition, Nishigaki argued that voters should determine whether she remained in office and said her elected term was due to end in May 2027.
She also said resigning would trigger a by-election and impose additional costs on the council.
The no confidence motion is symbolic under current government rules.
Its debate at the October 12 meeting will not, by itself, terminate Nishigaki's elected position.
