Ashington Parish Council Accessibility Statement
Using this website
This website is run by Ashington Parish 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 and fonts
• 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
Please note that many viewable elements are also controlled by browsers and additional software. Please look these up and understand the assistance available.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:
• you can’t modify the line height or spacing of the text
• some older PDF documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
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 clerk@ashingtonpc.org.uk
• call 07851 009655
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in within 3 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations email clerk@ashingtonpc.org.uk
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing 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
We can use text messaging for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
If attending a meeting in person and you have any specific requirement please;
• email clerk@ashingtonpc.org.uk
• call/text 07851 009655
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Ashington 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 partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Issues with technology
It’s not possible for users to modify text spacing or line height.
We’ve recently added a basic text colour and size control panel but does not include text spacing or line height.
We will make another assessment when we next do a major redevelopment of the website, likely to be in 3-5 years.
It has not been possible for us to test screen reader software, only testing using free browser speech software. Purchasing numerous packages for testing only has been viewed as cost prohibitive.
Issues with text
Some link text doesn’t make sense when read on its own (for example, ‘click here’).
We plan to fix the existing links by September 2020 and as we continually review the website. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure link text meets accessibility standards.
Issues with PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don’t meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be marked up so they’re accessible to a screen reader.
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with minutes and agendas, and forms published as Word documents. By September 2020, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
How we tested this website
This website was first tested on 1st September 2019. Ashington Parish Council conducted our own testing.
Our approach was to sample all main pages against the basic guidelines offered at www.w3.org
We tested our main website platform only, no other linked websites, linked organisations or social media channels.
All testing was done using free resources such as browser speech services.
We have viewed the use of an external agency to formally assess the website and offer recommendations to achieve AAA status as cost prohibitive and a disproportionate burden on a Parich Council budget.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We have sought guidance from Horsham District Council, Ecomsolutions.co.uk our website hosting and design agency, and online guidance offered at www.w3.org
We have modified our website to include:
Text only pages of all areas of the website.
Text control panel enabling magnigication and changes in colour.
This statement was prepared on 1st September 2019. It was last updated on 1st September 2019.
This website is run by Ashington Parish 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 and fonts
• 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
Please note that many viewable elements are also controlled by browsers and additional software. Please look these up and understand the assistance available.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:
• you can’t modify the line height or spacing of the text
• some older PDF documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
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 clerk@ashingtonpc.org.uk
• call 07851 009655
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in within 3 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations email clerk@ashingtonpc.org.uk
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing 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
We can use text messaging for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
If attending a meeting in person and you have any specific requirement please;
• email clerk@ashingtonpc.org.uk
• call/text 07851 009655
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Ashington 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 partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Issues with technology
It’s not possible for users to modify text spacing or line height.
We’ve recently added a basic text colour and size control panel but does not include text spacing or line height.
We will make another assessment when we next do a major redevelopment of the website, likely to be in 3-5 years.
It has not been possible for us to test screen reader software, only testing using free browser speech software. Purchasing numerous packages for testing only has been viewed as cost prohibitive.
Issues with text
Some link text doesn’t make sense when read on its own (for example, ‘click here’).
We plan to fix the existing links by September 2020 and as we continually review the website. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure link text meets accessibility standards.
Issues with PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don’t meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be marked up so they’re accessible to a screen reader.
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with minutes and agendas, and forms published as Word documents. By September 2020, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
How we tested this website
This website was first tested on 1st September 2019. Ashington Parish Council conducted our own testing.
Our approach was to sample all main pages against the basic guidelines offered at www.w3.org
We tested our main website platform only, no other linked websites, linked organisations or social media channels.
All testing was done using free resources such as browser speech services.
We have viewed the use of an external agency to formally assess the website and offer recommendations to achieve AAA status as cost prohibitive and a disproportionate burden on a Parich Council budget.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We have sought guidance from Horsham District Council, Ecomsolutions.co.uk our website hosting and design agency, and online guidance offered at www.w3.org
We have modified our website to include:
Text only pages of all areas of the website.
Text control panel enabling magnigication and changes in colour.
This statement was prepared on 1st September 2019. It was last updated on 1st September 2019.