This accessibility statement applies to content published on the www.weststow.org domain.
This website is run by West Suffolk Council. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. For example, that means you should be able to:
- 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.
We are always working to make the website text as simple as possible to understand.
In accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, we regularly monitor the accessibility standards of our website. To do this, we use a tool called Siteimprove which monitors and tests the website and sends reports to us.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- Some pages scroll in two dimensions on small screens
- you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
- Some PDFs and other documents are not fully accessible:
- most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- occasionally we add documents produced by external organisations which we cannot always make accessible
- on rare occasions, due to tight deadlines or to meet statutory requirements, we may sometimes upload documents which are not fully accessible. We aim to upload accessible versions as soon as we can, and if asked will provide an accessible version
- there is no legal requirement to make documents produced before September 2018 accessible. As many of these are historical it is not possible to make them all fully accessible.
If you have any issues with reading a PDF document, please contact us as we may be able to provide an accessible version.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF or large print:
- email: contact us
- phone: 01284 728718
In your message, include:
- the web address (URL) of the content
- your email address and name
- the format you need - for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio CD
We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this our websites.
If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email: communications@westsuffolk.gov.uk. Please include:
- ‘Website accessibility’ in the subject line
- the web address (URL) of the page with the issue
- details of the issue.
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
Find out how to contact us.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
West Suffolk Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is not fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non accessible content
When last tested on 9 May 2024, the accessibility report showed that the website was 79.7% compliant with the A, AA, AAA standards, WAI-ARiA authoring practices and Accessibility best practices.
Non compliance with the accessibility regulations
- Colour contrast does not meet minimum requirement - there is not quite enough contract between the text and background colour for some links, making it hard to read the information. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum). We plan to improve colour contrast by December 2024.
- Hidden element has focusable content - drop down menus have focusable content, even when they are hidden.
- Inline frame missing a text alternative - Every inline frame (iframe) should have a text alternative that summarises its content or purpose.
- Links are not clearly identifiable - links in the text are a different colour but are not underlined.
- Interactive element does not meet minimum size or spacing. Interactive elements, like buttons or links, should be large enough or be positioned, so they can easily be clicked or tapped by users Elements should be at least 24 by 24 pixels, or if smaller, be positioned with enough spacing to not intersect with other interactive elements.
- Form field missing a label - Unclear labels make form-filling harder for everyone. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.2: Understanding Success Criterion 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value.
- Role with implied hidden content has keyboard focus - carousel items cannot be read by screen readers. If a sub-element has keyboard focus, it should be moved outside of the presentation role.
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services, but may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role value).
By December 2024, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish should meet accessibility standards.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
We are working to make sure that any new PDFs or other documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
We work with our suppliers, contractors, and partners to make sure their systems and documentation adhere to the latest Government guidance on accessibility where they are supplying us with content. Where possible this is written into contracts and is part of our procurement procedures.
However, we cannot always guarantee that documents produced by external organisations and members of the public which are published on our website, are always fully accessible. We have to host a considerable number of documents in relation to planning applications, the local plan and neighbourhood plans, and it is not always possible to get all the different organisations to adhere to our accessibility requirements.
If this is the case and you need a document in an accessible format, please contact us.
Live video
We don’t plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are continually working to improve accessibility. We regularly receive reports form Siteimprove, the automated system we use to check accessibility, quality assurance and search engine optimisation (SEO) and look to resolve issues on a weekly basis. We also respond to any issues identified by visitors to the websites and regularly review pages.
We work with our third party suppliers to make sure their systems are as accessible as possible, and to resolve issues as quickly as possible.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 20 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 9 May 2024.
This website was last tested on 9 May 2024.
The test was carried out internally by West Suffolk Council, using Siteimprove for automated testing. The regular accessibility report run by Siteimprove shows that the site 81.9% compliant with the A standard, 81.6% compliant with AA standard, and 62.9% compliant with AAA standard (which is above the legal requirement). It also includes 84.5% compliant with WAI-ARIA Authoring practices, and 84.9% compliant with Accessibility best practices, which bring the overall rating down to 79.7%. We continue to review the website and review any issues as soon as we can when a warning appears.
Read the full Siteimprove accessibility report – West Stow website 9 May 2024
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06 November 2024.
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