Give feedback on this page

Human Rights Act 1998

Human Rights are essentially about treating people fairly, with dignity and respect. The obligations for public bodies are set out in the Human Rights Act 1998. There is a fundamental relationship between equality, diversity and human rights, and indeed the new joint equality commission is known as the Equality and Human Rights Commission, created by the Equality Act 2006, to reflect a need to consider human rights as well as equality matters. By implementing a human rights approach, Denbighshire County Council can ensure that users of services and citizens are at the heart of service design and delivery.

The Human Rights Act 1998 was introduced to extend a range of rights first outlined in the European Convention of Human Rights, effectively incorporating some of these rights into UK la.

How does the Human Rights Act Work?

It makes it clear that as far as possible, the courts in the UK should carry out the law in a way which is compatible with the rights under the Human Rights Convention.

It places an obligation on public authorities to act in a way which is compatible with the convention.

If someone wants to bring a case, they will have to demonstrate that a public authority has breached the convention, and a defence can be that the authority is or was complying with an Act of Parliament. In most cases this means that cases brought will seek a judicial review of a decision or action.

Denbighshire County Council demonstrates its commitment to Human Rights through its adoption of the following values: -

Unity
We all work for the same organisation. We as Councillors and staff should aim to reflect this in the way we behave and serve our communities. As our motto says “Unwn i wneud da” (We unite to do good) we work closely, cooperate willingly and support colleagues from across the organisation, regardless of the directorate, service or team in which they work. Our customers and communities expect the organisation to act as a single body making no distinction between directorates or services. 

Pride
We aim to create a sense of pride in working for our organisation. We should take pride in the work we do and what we achieve as an organisation. The challenges imposed by our mission are considerable but despite the difficulties, we aim to share an ambition to achieve the best outcomes.

Respect
We aim to treat all people equally and with fairness, understanding that there are views and beliefs that differ from our own. We aim to involve and listen to our communities, showing consideration to their views and responding appropriately.

Integrity
As councillors and staff we aim to manage ourselves to maximise performance, act with high standard of conduct and present a positive image of Denbighshire. We aim to be realistic with our colleagues and citizens about our achievements and the challenges we face and to be open and honest in the information we provide.