Accessibility 2020-06-22T13:23:51+00:00

1. Using this website
This website is run by Middlesbrough Council. 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 200% 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)
• View the website using any device e.g. mobile phone, tablet, desktop computer
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

2. How accessible is this website?
Most of this website is compliant with the W3C WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard. However, there are some parts of this website which are not fully accessible:

  • Some images contain text
  • Some videos don’t have a written transcript to accompany the video
  • A skip to content button is not available
  • The button at the bottom of the website to amend your preference in relation to cookies does not have a name correctly assigned
  • The search button is not fully accessible
  • The colour ratio on certain elements of the website is not high enough
  • The language used on certain parts of the website is not plain English and would therefore be difficult for some people to understand

3. 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 digital@middlesbrough.gov.uk
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.

4. 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 accessibility requirements, contact the Middlesbrough Council Digital Team by emailing the issue to digital@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

5. 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).

6. Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Middlesbrough 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 under section two of this page.

7. How we test this website
This website is tested every 7 days. The tests are carried out by the Middlesbrough Council Digital team using online accessibility reporting tools and manual testing. Required changes that are discovered as a result of these tests will be implemented within two months.

8. Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations and what we are doing to improve accessibility

Our accessibility road map below shows the issues which are currently in place on this website and how we aim to fix them.

Issue Action Target fix date
Some images contain text Images will either be replaced with accessible images without text or a text alternative will be made available September 2020
Some videos don’t have a written transcript to accompany the video A written version videos will be created. September 2020
A skip to content button is not available This button will be added at the top of the website to assist users viewing the website using a screen reader. September 2020
The button at the bottom of the website to amend your preference in relation to cookies does not have a name correctly assigned A name will be added so that those users accessing the website using a screen reader will know the purpose of this button. September 2020
The search button is not fully accessible The search functionality will be rebuilt so it can be fully accessed by those users accessing the website using a screen reader September 2020
The colour ratio on certain elements of the website is not high enough All pages on the website will be reviewed to find insufficient colour contrast. Elements will then be changed to ensure they are fully accessible September 2020
The language used on certain parts of the website is not plain English and would therefore be difficult for some people to understand Content that fails the plain English test will be re-written September 2020

This statement was prepared on 16/06/2020. It was last updated on 19/06/2020.