Accessibility statement for Stone Town Council

This accessibility statement applies to Stone Town Council’s only website: www.stonetowncouncil.gov.uk

This website is maintained by Stone Town Council. We want 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, fonts, line height and spacing of text. You can do this via your browser settings or using a plugin such as Reader View and High Contrast
zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
View all content on all devices (Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Mobile)
View most content in either portrait mode or landscape mode on Tablet and Mobile (Any content not accessible in this format is detailed in the ‘Non-accessible content’ section.)
Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard by pressing the ‘tab’, ‘arrow’ or ‘enter’ keys, including contact forms.
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)
See exactly where you are on the page when navigating via your keyboard using a plugin tool such as Focus Indicator
View most content headers in the correct order and be able to skip to sections using plugin tools such as headingsMap. Any content that cannot be viewed in this way is detailed in the ‘Non-accessible content section’.
Find alternative text for every image or photograph used.
Convert content from text to speech by using plugin tools such as Selection Reader – Text to Speech.

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

Sites such as AbilityNet MyComputerMyWay and Scope guidance on phone accessibility features have advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, including useful plugin downloads.

*Disclaimer: All plugin recommendations are made in good faith and Stone Town Council does not take responsibility for these plugins or software.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

most older PDF documents, for example our Minutes and Agendas are not fully accessible to screen reader software
you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
the ‘events’ calendar page’ cannot be viewed landscape on mobile device
Some pages such as ‘Stone Town Councillors’ and ‘Latest News & Events’ have a small number of headings missing when using a tool such as headingsMap, however they are all visible on the main page itself and can be skipped to using your keyboard.
Some ‘labels’ may be missing from our contact pages when using screenreader software.
When navigating the site using a keyboard and the ‘tab’, ‘arrow’ and ‘enter’ keys, you cannot access the ‘sub-menu’ items. However these can be accessed through the sitemap.
The colour contrast on our ‘Calendar’ is low which some people might find difficult to read

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, for example accessible PDF or large print, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Email: clerk@stonetowncouncil.gov.uk

Telephone: 01785 619740

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within seven days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call us on 01785 619740 or email us at clerk@stonetowncouncil.gov.uk for directions.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us. You can call us on 01785 619740 or email clerk@stonetowncouncil.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).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

If you have a disability or any special requirements, please contact us before visiting our offices. You can call us on 01785 619740 and we will discuss your requirements ahead of your visit.

Unfortunately, our office is not wheelchair accessible. Due to the building being a listed building, we are unable to build a lift or install a chair lift. However, there is a wheelchair accessible ramp that will allow access to the main building and we can arrange to meet you downstairs.

Our Council Chamber has an audio induction loop, or if you contact us in sufficient time prior to a Council meeting, arrangements will be made for a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Stone Town 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 partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below. We are working towards improving this position.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons

Navigation and accessing information

When using a keyboard to navigate through the site, you cannot select ‘sub-menu’ items in the main menu bar. However, you can access these pages using the ‘site map’ provided.
There’s currently no way to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a ‘skip to main content’ option).
Some pages such as ‘Stone Town Councillors’ and ‘Latest News & Events’ have a small number of headings missing when using a tool such as headingsMap, however they are all visible on the main page itself and can be skipped to using your keyboard.

PDF & Word documents

Most older PDF documents, for example our Minutes and Agendas are not fully accessible to screen reader software.

When we publish new content we’ll aim to ensure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

Forms and interactivities

Some ‘labels’ may be missing from our contact pages when using screenreader software.

Visual aspects of the website

The ‘events’ calendar page’ cannot be viewed landscape on mobile device
The colour contrast on our ‘Calendar’ is low which some people might find difficult to read

Disproportionate burden

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the above issues We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations due to the limited resources available within this small organisation. We will make another assessment when the supplier contract is up for renewal.

Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulation

Any PDF documents published before 23^rd September 2018 are not accessible.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix any Council meeting Agendas or Minutes published prior to 23 September 2018.

If you would like any of these documents in an alternative format, you can contact us to discuss your requirements.

Email: clerk@stonetowncouncil.gov.uk

Telephone: 01785 619740

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to improve our site’s accessibility as detailed previously and will provide any appropriate training for staff that is needed to fix these issues.

We have appointed a lead person within the organisation to take lead on these plans. The current lead for Accessibility within our organisation is the Town Clerk.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 23rd September 2020. It was last reviewed on 23rd September 2020. This statement will be reviewed annually. The next review date will be 23rd September 2021.

This website was last tested on Friday 28^th August 2020. The test was carried out internally by Stone Town Council office staff.

Every live page of the website has been tested for accessibility issues.