Councillor compares 78-year-old volunteer to Nazi collaborator at parish meeting

Nick Godley has lodged a formal complaint with Essex County Council after a Reform UK councillor compared his 78-year-old wife to a Nazi collaborator at a parish council meeting in Wethersfield. The incident occurred on 14 October during a discussion about local infrastructure and security measures.

Mair Godley, who lives with her husband near the former Wethersfield military base, said the exchange left her feeling violated. "I'm nearly 79 years old," she said. "I felt violated by his comments. How dare he say that to me?"

Carl Johnson, the Reform councillor, attended the meeting to update members on county issues, including pothole repairs and Operation Vanguard. The latter involves private security guards patrolling town centres in Essex. Johnson took over control of the county council after the May 2026 elections, ending a 25 year period of Conservative leadership.

The tension escalated when Nick Godley challenged Johnson regarding the potholes and the necessity of Operation Vanguard to protect locals from asylum seekers. Godley noted that crime and antisocial behaviour incidents in nearby Braintree were low.

Johnson asked if anyone in the room had been helping migrants at Wethersfield and "facilitating the invasion". Mair Godley revealed she had previously volunteered to teach English to asylum seekers at the facility. In response, Johnson reportedly said that by doing so, she might as well have been helping Germany during the second world war.

Johnson added that he did not want to raise his daughter to be raped and murdered by asylum seekers. Draft minutes of the meeting state the discussion became heated and Johnson was asked to leave to restore order. A member of the public present suggested strongly that he should depart.

Johnson had written on Facebook the week before the meeting that people entering the country illegally receive clothing and accommodation for free. He described the situation as a country actively facilitating its own invasion and population replacement, calling it treason.

Nick Godley described the discussion as fairly challenging and said Johnson's behaviour was shocking. A spokesperson for Essex County Council said the body comments on complaints once they have been investigated and a finding of a breach has been made. Reform UK and Johnson have not responded to repeated requests for comment.