Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the main Torridge District Council website, which includes the following domains:

For the purpose of this accessibility statement, the term 'website' refers to all of the above domains.

This website is run by Torridge District 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

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

Additional accessibility tools are available via the Recite Me toolbar, which can be enabled using the 'Accessibility' link at the top-right of every page. When using a screen reader, this option will be read out as "Enable accessibility toolbar". The toolbar provides functions to help customers understand and engage with our services, allowing for adjustments to all elements of the page including text, graphics, language, and navigation.

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 of our images don't have alternative text
some heading elements are not consistent
some of our older online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
many documents are in PDF format and are not accessible
many of our online forms don't support browser autocomplete functionality
the purpose of links isn't always clear without reading surrounding content
live video streams do not have captions

Feedback and contact information

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

email communications@torridge.gov.uk
call 01237 428700

We'll consider your request and get back to you in 5 days.

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, contact: communications@torridge.gov.uk - 01237 428700

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

Our offices have audio induction loops.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Torridge District 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.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Some images do not have a text alternative, and where they do, this isn't always adequate. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content). We are working through affected images to resolve this issue.
Many of our online forms aren't compatible with autocomplete functionality in web browsers, as there is no way to programmatically determine the purpose of the fields included. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose). We are working with our software supplier to resolve this issue.
Some pages have blank headings or poor heading structure in articles. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels). We are working through affected pages to resolve this issue.
Some pages and PDF documents use terms such as 'top-right corner' to refer to the location of links on screen. Users of assistive technologies or mobile devices may not be able to locate the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.3 (Sensory Characteristics). We are working through affected content to resolve this issue.
The language of some older PDF documents containing Council meeting agendas and minutes cannot be programmatically determined. This means that screen readers may not be able to read the content correctly. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (Language of Page). A fix has been implemented for PDF documents generated after 16th December 2021, however documents generated before this date are still affected by the issue. The information within affected documents is available in a HTML format, which appears before you download the PDF.
Many of our online forms produce validation errors when there are issues with user input, or fields are left blank. However, when these errors are summarised (for example, when changing section within a form, or attempting to submit the form), screen readers read out the error messages, but don't specify the name of the affected fields. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification). We are working with our software supplier to resolve this issue.
Our online forms don't currently provide a way for customers to review the data they have entered into a form before it is submitted. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.4 (Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)). We are discussing solutions with our software supplier for this issue.
Some links may include vague terms that don't describe the link (such as 'click here' or the full web address). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)). We are working through affected content to resolve this issue.

Disproportionate burden

We have not made any claims of disproportionate burden.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. By September 2023, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.

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.

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

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Online maps

Maps used on our website are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. Where maps may be used for navigational purposes, e.g. for car park locations, we provide the information in an accessible format. If you require any information contained within maps in an alternative format, please contact us.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 28^th September 2023. The test was carried out in-house.

We use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 level A and level AA to test how accessible our websites are.

We used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) approach to decide on a sample of pages to test.

You can read the full accessibility report to see the sample of pages we tested, how we chose it, and any issues that were found within the sample. Many of the issues found in the testing sample have since been fixed.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We have a plan in place to improve the accessibility of our website and are working to fix any content that doesn't meet the requirements.

Staff who produce content for our website have received accessibility training, which should minimise the amount of accessibility issues going forward.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 8^th October 2021. It was last reviewed on 3^rd October 2023.