YORK is to become the UK’s first “human rights city”. You might think that’s a waste of time, and that our human rights in 21st century Britain are already pretty well protected.

But they are under threat because they are too often viewed, by politicians and members of the public alike, as inconvenient or irrelevant, says Prof Paul Gready of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York.

In these times of continuing uncertainty and austerity, we should never take such rights for granted. So we’re proud the city of Joseph and Seebohm Rowntree will be flying the flag.