Agenda item

This report seeks to reaffirm City of York Council’s (CYCs) commitment to being a Human Rights City and to move forward the relationship betweenCYC andthe YorkHuman RightsCity Network(YHRCN).

Resolved: That it be agreed to:

·        Re-commit to the declaration made in 2017 to become a Human Rights City, recognising that this marked an ambition and was a significant step on a journey, and putting those rights at the heart of decision making;

·        Commit to moving forward in agreement with York Human Rights City Network (YHRCN) with a refreshed structure for the Human Rights and Equalities Board produced by a joint task group;

·        Facilitate in partnership an annual or bi-annual national Human Rights City conference;

·        Implement the Council’s responsibilities within the Action Plan (Annex A to the report) and any agreed priority items in the annual indicator report including:

o   Work with the YHRCN and the University of York to develop and deliver Human Rights training to City of York Council’s (CYC) leadership team, managers and staff.

o   Commit to planned meetings between the YHRCN Executive, senior members, and officers to discuss progress with the human rights agenda.

o   Agree to work alongside YHRCN to review the ‘Community Voices’ project to ensure that it meets its original objective to work with the most marginalised.

      and

·        Regular public reporting back through the Executive Member Decision Sessions.

Reason: To reaffirm City of York Council’s commitment to being a Human Rights City.

The Executive Member considered a report that sought to reaffirm City of York Council’s (CYC) commitment to being a Human Rights City and to move forward the relationship between CYC and the York Human Rights City Network (YHRCN).

The Director and Assistant Director of Customer and Communities provided an update, noting that the YHRCN had asked for six points of improvements which related to governance structures, impact assessments, decision making, and the functioning of the governance framework around the Human Rights & Equalities Board. Working collaboratively with the YHRCN Executive, a refreshed structure for York’s partnership on human rights inequalities would be agreed.

In answer to the public participants, and the Executive Members questions, officers confirmed that:

·        The Assistant Director’s portfolio now included inclusion, and she was considering the staffing structure, which already consisted of an Access Officer and a small team supporting migrant communities.

·        The Access Officer was currently focused on the access arrangements to the city centre for Blue Badge holders.

·        Work would continue with the University of York to address the need for human rights and equality impact assessments, and to ensure human rights training was embedded across the council.

·        A Community Voices project review would be undertaken, to ensure people with hidden or marginalised voices were heard.

·        York was also a city of sanctuary, and as part of a range of good work outlined, officers worked closely with partners to welcome people from the Ukraine, as well as those seeking asylum.

·        The Human Rights & Equalities Board review would be open to cross party participation once the Terms of Reference were agreed.

The Executive Member welcomed the representations made by the York Travellers Trust and he asked the Director to inquire if the appropriate officers were considering them. He also confirmed that he had attended the Local Government Association (LGA) Conference in Harrogate on behalf of a colleague at extremely short notice and that was the reason for no notes, the LGA had also confirmed that the event was not recorded. 

The Executive Member thanked all, particularly the YHRCN, for their commitment to champion human rights across the city and he noted that the declaration stated that it marked an ambition, not a destination, and as such work on the human rights agenda should be ongoing at pace, with human rights and equalities at the heart of policy and decision making in the city.

Resolved: That it be agreed to:

·        Re-commit to the declaration made in 2017 to become a Human Rights City, recognising that this marked an ambition and was a significant step on a journey, and putting those rights at the heart of decision making;

·        Commit to moving forward in agreement with York Human Rights City Network (YHRCN) with a refreshed structure for the Human Rights and Equalities Board produced by a joint task group;

·        Facilitate in partnership an annual or bi-annual national Human Rights City conference;

·        Implement the council’s responsibilities within the Action Plan (Annex A to the report) and any agreed priority items in the annual indicator report including:

o   Work with the YHRCN and the University of York to develop and deliver Human Rights training to City of York Council’s (CYC) leadership team, managers, and staff.

o   Commit to planned meetings between the YHRCN Executive, senior members, and officers to discuss progress with the human rights agenda.

o   Agree to work alongside YHRCN to review the ‘Community Voices’ project to ensure that it meets its original objective to work with the most marginalised.

      and

·        Regular public reporting back through the Executive Member Decision Sessions.

Reason: To reaffirm City of York Council’s commitment to being a Human Rights City.