Council refuses no-confidence vote on Reform mayor

A council has refused to hold a vote of no confidence over its mayor for historical social media posts showing her criticising black, Asian and LGBT communities - in a move that was called "disturbing".

Redditch Borough Council will not be having a debate on the future of Reform UK councillor Sue Eacock, after bosses ruled it inadmissible.

The decision comes after the authority's Reform group broke its silence over the matter, calling the issue "a witch hunt".

Their group leader, councillor Nic Pioli, said "very few residents have the appetite" to see Eacock removed from office, insisting she was a "good mayor". Eacock did not respond when approached by the BBC.

She had come under fire for a series of historical social media posts, which have attracted complaints from the public.

They included one where she suggested there were too many black performers at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert and she posted a response to the comedian Lenny Henry to say she did not want to attend a gig, writing "no thanks, I identify as a white woman".

Eacock deleted her X account after being approached by the BBC about them, and repeatedly failed to respond to requests for a comment.

The opposition Labour group submitted a no-confidence motion to the authority earlier this month, which was set to be voted on at the next full council meeting on 29 June, until it was ruled inadmissible.

Pioli said: "The comments [that Eacock made] are historic, and the council have confirmed there's no action to be taken.

"These posts were in the public domain prior to the election when Sue was elected democratically nonetheless, as well as subsequently being elected as mayor by the council, through a fair process.

"The current response from local constituents shows, other than the Labour party pushing their own 'be offended' agenda, that very few residents have the appetite in pursuing this witch hunt."

He also accused Labour of "a petty, political point-scoring exercise".

Councillor Sharon Harvey, Labour's group leader, said: "Racism and homophobia has no place in public office, and councillor Eacock should demonstrate respect, inclusion and impartiality towards people of all backgrounds.

"The Labour group cannot support councillor Eacock in this civic role as her well-publicised views are incompatible with the responsibility she holds."

Fellow Labour councillor David Munro added: "I find it disturbing that a mayor who's published offensive, racist and homophobic posts online and then deletes her account, effectively preventing further scrutiny, and then declines to comment or apologise, cannot be subject to a motion of no confidence.

"Surely she should be held to account for her actions?"

Eacock's tweets were published between 2022 and 2025 on the social media platform, where she had more than 40,000 followers before the account was deleted.

She became the mayor in Redditch last month, with the offensive messages pre-dating her time as a councillor.

A borough council spokesperson said: "All the business the council will consider at its meeting on June 29 will be published in the agenda on 19 June."

The decision to block the notice of motion has come as a surprise to many councillors in Redditch, who had widely expected a vote to take place.

But the legal advice from officers was clear: Under the council's constitution there is no formal method for removing a mayor via a notice of motion, rendering any debate rudderless.

The fact that the social media posts predated Eacock's time as a councillor may also have played a role in the ruling.

The BBC understands neither Conservative nor independent councillors were planning to support Eacock if push came to shove, meaning the decision came as a relief to Reform, which was facing the public humiliation of having to find a replacement mayor just a few weeks after May's local elections.

There is no doubt the saga has caused a headache at the borough council, where the mayor is supposed to operate as a civic figurehead, away from the world of politics.

The only question now is what the Labour Party does next - if anything.

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.