Accessibility Information

This website is run by Clapham Parish Council and was commissioned in November 2020 from Aubergine262.com to reflect the Council’s commitment to Website Accessibility.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the site using just a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using the screen reader
• change colours, contrast levels and font

We have also tried to make 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 is this website?

We know some parts of this website may not be fully accessible:

• some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software unless they are downloaded from the site.
• some older documents contain scanned content which is not fully accessible to screen reader software.
• some older documents have been scanned in and are not therefore fully accessible.
• there’s a limit to how far you can magnify the map on our ‘contact us’ page.

What to do if you cannot 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 clerk@clapham-pc-wsx.gov.uk

We will do our best to respond within seven working days but much sooner whenever possible.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed in this Accessibility Statement or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please let us know so that the issue can be resolved – email clerk@clapham-pc-wsx.gov.uk

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).

Technical information about the accessibility of this website

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

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, primarily due some older PDFs not being readable within the browser window and those with scanned content.

Content that’s outside the scope of the accessibility regulations

The following types of content are exempt from the accessibility regulations, although the content does not necessarily appear on the Council’s website:

• pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020
• live audio and video
• heritage collections like scanned manuscripts
• PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 – unless users need them to use a service, for example a form that lets you request school meal preferences
• maps – although essential information must be provided in an accessible format like an address
• third party content that’s under someone else’s control that the Council did not pay for or develop – for example, social media ‘like’ buttons
• content on intranets or extranets published before 23 September 2019 (unless a major revision is made after this date)
• archived websites if they’re not needed for services the organisation provides and they are not updated

Navigation and accessing information

It’s not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content.

It’s not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping.

We don’t control how Google Maps displays information, but where possible we provide addresses within the web page’s text (via HTML). When Google makes their map output accessible, we will update our technology accordingly.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

We have taken steps to identify and update content which was published after 23 September 2018 to make it accessible.

Documents published after this date have been checked using the Accessibility Checker within Microsoft Office.

We will endeavor to ensure any new PDF documents we publish meet accessibility standards although these files may still not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

The Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) documentation is provided by an external source and therefore outside the control of the Council. Items that require a signature must be scanned in and these are not then accessible via a screen reader. Whilst it is possible to convert images into a format that can be read using a screen reader via Optical Character Recognition, the cost means that this facility is not available to the Council.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We have not identified any areas that we believe constitute a disproportionate burden.

The Clerk is undertaking research on accessibility requirements and has undertaken training on how to prepare accessible documents in Word, PDF and Excel formats.

Members of the Council understand the importance of compliance with accessibility regulations to ensure that all users can access information easily.

When we publish new content we will use the free Microsoft Accessibility Checker and the online reader service to try and make it accessible. When word documents are converted to PDF documents we will use a free online PDF checker such as Tingtun Checker.

If issues are identified to us or requests made for documents in an alternative format these will be prioritised for resolution.

How we test this site

This website pages and content will be tested using online testing software such as Lighthouse and Tingtun checker.

The Clerk will run online testing on the website and undertake some manual checks each month to identify and try to fix any accessibility issues.

Visiting us in person

We do not have a public office to visit so please contact the Clerk if you have difficulties accessing the council meetings to discuss your requirements.

This statement was last reviewed and updated by the Clerk on 15th December 2022.