Human Rights for Oxfordshire Citizens

Green Party councillors will be presenting a motion to the next County
Council meeting which directs the Council to oppose measures by the
Government which will have the effect of reducing the human rights of UK
citizens.

Dr Hazel Dawe, who is a Senior Lecturer in Law, comments:

"In the Queen's speech the Government have said that they are consulting on 
the issue of withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights. In 
practice, this would mean that direct legal challenges to Oxfordshire 
County Council decisions made within Education, Social services and other 
areas of Council services would be made more difficult. Currently, where 
there are problems, they can be judged as contraventions of the European 
Convention on Human Rights. Where a breach of Convention rights is found , 
the injustice can be corrected and appropriate compensation can be paid to 
victims.

"With this in mind the County Council should be concerned that leaving the 
European Convention  would degrade the Human Rights of the citizens of 
Oxfordshire, and in particular the most vulnerable. All of our councils 
should be accountable to citizens for their actions in cases where the 
human rights of individuals have not been respected.

The motion to the Council will be moved by Green group leader David Williams.