Beckford Parish Council Website Accessibility Statement

1 Introduction

Beckford Parish Council is required to have a website accessible for all users and a Website Accessibility Statement by the Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) (No 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which came into force in September 2018.

This Statement has been compiled in collaboration with the Council’s IT adviser and by a review of national guidelines and a sample of statements from similar bodies.

 

2 Website Accessibility Statement

Accessibility statement for Beckford Parish Council website

This website is run by Beckford Parish Council. The Council wants as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using built-in browser settings
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

The Council has also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

 

How accessible this website is

The Council knows some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

There is an action plan to address issues.

 

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

  • email beckfordpc2019@gmail.com; or
  • call the Parish Clerk on 07950118355

The Council will consider your request and get back to you in five working days

 

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

The Council is always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or that you think the Council is not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the Parish Clerk:

  • email beckfordpc2019@gmail.com; or
  • call the Parish Clerk on 07950118355

 

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

 

Please note: visiting in person is not available during Covid-19 restrictions

The Council is unable to provide a text relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment. The Council Office does not have audio induction loops.

The Council office is only accessible via a steep stairway, but the Clerk or Councillors can meet visitors on the ground floor of Beckford Village Hall by appointment.

If you require a ground floor meeting contact the Clerk:

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Beckford Parish Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, with the exception of the non-compliances listed below.

 

Non-accessible content

Any documents that have been scanned, any documents provided by third parties and historical documents.

 

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • In some instances, the alternative text for an image is the same as nearby or adjacent text
  • In some instances, text is present that has a contrast ratio less than 4.5:1
  • In some instances, some images do not have alternative text (alt text)
  • In some instances, title attribute text is the same as text or alternative text
  • In some instances, a layout table is present
  •  

Disproportionate burden

At the moment we are not claiming ‘Disproportionate burden’ for anything.

 

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Many older PDF and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader.

Some PDF and Word documents are essential to providing services. The Council plans to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.

The accessibility regulations do not require the Council to fix PDF or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they do not contain essential information.

Any new PDF or Word documents published will meet accessibility standards.

 

 

How the Council tested this website

This website was last tested on 01 September 2020. The test was carried out in house by Beckford Parish Council using a combination of WAVE (web accessibility evaluation tool) from WebAIM and manual testing. This was done so we could specifically test all elements found on our pages.

The Council is unable to test every element as it does not have access to the full range of accessibility software which costs prohibit. There may be other issues that our testing has not picked up. The website will be tested again, and this statement will be updated as required.

We sampled page/s from each of the main headings on the home page

We tested our main website platform at https://www.beckford-parish-council.org.uk/

 

What the Council is doing to improve accessibility

The Council welcomes comments and suggestions from users to improve the website. Please contact the Parish Clerk:

  • email beckfordpc2019@gmail.com; or
  • call the Parish Clerk on 07950118355

This statement was approved by Beckford Parish Council at its meeting on [00] September 2020. It is reviewed annually and was last updated on 01 September 2020 following a review by Councillor’s and a consultation with the Parish Council’s IT adviser.

 

David Roscoe, Parish Clerk

16th September 2020