Launch of Human Rights and Local Government Project

A Human Rights and Local Government Project was launched on 24 November in Westminster, at an event attended by over 70 delegates from local government. The innovative 18 month project will attempt to incorporate the principles of human rights directly into the work of local government, illustrate the benefits of incorporating human rights into policy and practice, and draw out policy recommendations for local authorities. The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has commissioned the British Institute of Human Rights to work in partnership on the project, following the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Inquiry which examined the relationship between human rights and service delivery.

The launch set the context for the project and also gave delegates the opportunity to take an active part in workshop sessions to examine the background and legal context of human rights in the UK in relation to the work of public authorities and to explore potential human rights issues for local government and possible strategies to overcome obstacles.

Speaking after the event, BIHR Director, Katie Ghose said, “today was a fantastic opportunity to engage and enthuse people working in local government to explore the potential for using human rights in their work. The feedback from participants has been extremely positive and BIHR is looking forward to working with IDeA and the pilot local authorities to put human rights into action." 

The project will consist of five smaller projects run for six months each in a different local authority. Each project will have a specific focus on areas such as housing, social care, and ethnic minorities, and BIHR will provide training to assist each local authority in their specific needs to implement practical approaches to human rights. The five local authorities taking part will be announced shortly.