Report questions York council's commitment to human rights city status

Almost four months after the controversial decision to ban blue badge holders from the city’s footstreets, the York Human Rights City Network (YHRCN) called on the council to “provide residents of York with a reason to believe” they still backed the idea.

York was the first place in the UK to declare itself a Human Rights City in 2017.

But trust in the project, which encompasses a cross-section of York’s civil society, has been bruised by the council executive’s blue badge decision, made on security grounds, according to YHRCN’s annual human rights indicators report.

The report, authored primarily by leading human rights academic and director of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York, Paul Gready, focuses heavily on the fall-out of that decision.

The report states: “The blue badge decision is the biggest challenge to-date to York’s Human Rights City status. Parts of the architecture set up to advance human rights in the city failed. 

“Consultation felt performative, as though the council wanted to be seen to consult but in reality the decision was already made. 

“As such the damage done is both to the rights of a group of York residents (disabled people) and to public trust in democracy and democratic decision-making in the city.”

The report’s authors call the blue badge decision to be reversed.

They wrote: “This has become a defining issue for who we are as a city – we are better than the current decision suggests.”

The report calls for the council-led Human Rights and Equalities Board, to be replaced, as it  “lacks power, resources and leadership” and a rethink of the Community Voices project as there is “no value in mobilising voices and agendas for change if the council has no interest in listening or fails to deliver co-produced solutions in the aftermath of consultations.” 

A meeting is set to to take place to discuss the Human Rights and Equalities Board’s future.

But, the report states there has been positive change in other areas of the city where human rights approaches have been implemented.

It states: “Slow, uneven, but clear progress is being made on tackling hate crime, creating opportunities for young people Not in Employment, Education and Training (NEETs), embedding a rights-based Housing First approach, and championing rights-respecting schools.”

It is “too early” to abandon the Human Rights City status, the report states, but “it is not clear if the council executive shares our intent,” it adds.

Pauline Stuchfield, director of customer and communities at the council, said: “The council always welcomes the YHRCN indicator reports as part of our continued focus on, and commitment to, becoming a vibrant, diverse, fair and safe community built on the foundations of universal human rights. We equally welcome the new Poverty Truth Commission mentioned in the report, as a significant intervention to address poverty, and conduct a new form of civic engagement. 

 “We will continue to work with partners to support important work on hate crime. We are funding a new access officer role – co-designed with the York Disability Rights Forum – to ensure consideration of co-production and close engagement with disabled residents in future infrastructure development, and we strongly support the work of the new anti-racism group."

She added:  “It is because we are fully committed to human rights that we are listening and want to meet with the YHRCN to resolve issues we jointly recognise, so we can move forward positively together.”