Accessibility statement for Council of the Isles of Scilly website
This accessibility statement applies to the following websites:
- scilly.gov.uk
- committees.scilly.gov.uk
This website is run by the Council of the Isles of Scilly. 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 400% 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
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:
- you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
- most PDF documents are not fully optimised for screen reader software
- live video streams do not have captions
- some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
- you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
- there’s a limit to how far you can magnify the calendar on our ‘councillors and committees, calendar of meetings’ page
Please note that a horizontal scroll bar appears for pages zoomed in at 400%; however, for all the sample pages we’ve tested manually, none of the content on the page requires the user to scroll horizontally so it should not affect the accessibility. We are unable to resolve this with the current website template, but will ensure that the template on the replacement website that we will move to in 2024 does not have the same issue. If you are affected by this and you believe that content isn’t available without scrolling on a particular webpage, please contact us so we can investigate the problem and provide information in an alternative format if necessary.
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@scilly.gov.uk
- call 0300 1234 105
We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible and within 20 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website or to support users where we aren’t able to make immediate changes. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact communications@scilly.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 this website’s accessibility
The Council of the Isles of Scilly 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 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, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to add text alternatives for all images by April 2022. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our images meet accessibility standards.
Some pages do not have a structure that is optimised for screen readers. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to run practical tests by listening to a sample of webpages with a screen reader to check whether they are providing appropriate cues based on their current structure by April 2022. Once we have done this we will provide training to those who are able to edit the website to ensure that they format pages appropriately.
The MailChimp email subscription sign up form has zooming disabled on mobile devices. It also lacks a visible keyboard tab focus on the ‘subscribe’ button. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (resize text) and 2.4.7 (focus visible). We are unable to add the visible keyboard tab focus to the template as this is controlled by MailChimp. In the long term we will replace the form with a fully embedded form where we can remove the accessibility issues. In the meantime, we have added text to this subscription form asking people to contact communications@scilly.gov.uk if they have any trouble with form submission.
The cookies notice button does not have accessible text. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 4.1.2. Cookies now default to ‘off’ and we have improved the information available on the dedicated privacy and cookies page. We will be replacing the cookies module during our website rebuild in 2024 which will resolve the accessibility issue.
Some PDFs and webpages do not have titles that clearly describe their purpose or links referencing them do not match the title. This fails WCAG2.1 Success Criterion 2.4.2 (page titled). We will be migrating all content to a new website in 2024 and as part of this migration we will be removing reliance on PDFs where at all possible. Any remaining PDFs will either be renamed or the text linking to them will reference them accurately. All new page titles will be checked to ensure they properly reference the content in the page.
The tab order in some PDF documents is not specified making it more difficult to navigate these documents using a keyboard. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 1.3.2 (meaningful sequence) and success criterion 2.1.1 (keyboard). We will be migrating all content to a new website in 2024 and as part of this migration we will be removing reliance on PDFs where at all possible. Any remaining PDFs will be checked and, if necessary, corrected to ensure they can be navigated using a keyboard.
The purpose of some links on the website cannot be determined from the link text alone. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (link purpose in context). We will ensure the link text for all new webpages makes the purpose of the link clear. By April 2022, each council service will have been trained in how to reformat links on their webpages so that they can correct any existing links which fail to make the link purpose clear.
The default human language of some PDF documents is not set. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (language of page). We will be migrating all content to a new website in 2024 and as part of this migration we will be removing reliance on PDFs where at all possible. Any remaining PDFs will be checked and, if necessary, corrected to ensure that the default human language is set to make it easier for screen readers to interpret the documents.
Disproportionate burden
We do not make any specific claim of disproportionate burden at the time of writing, however please read the section below in relation to the need for the Council to replace the current website during 2024.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We carried out an accessibility review of the website and made a range of improvements during October and November 2021. Some issues remain and it is our intention to fix these during a complete website rebuild which will take place during the 2024 calendar year. We hope you will understand that we need to balance the investment of time into fixing issues on the current website with the need to focus on a new website that will be better optimised to meet the needs of all users. We take accessibility extremely seriously as it benefits all users of our website.
Should anyone encounter a specific issue where they are struggling to access information on the website, we are happy to help by providing the information in an alternative format and correcting the issue where at all possible to ensure other visitors are not also affected. Please send any requests to communications@scilly.gov.uk.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was originally prepared on 29 November 2021. It was last reviewed on 21 November 2023; the main change is that the estimated completion for the replacement council website is now 2024 (instead of 2022). This current council website was last tested on 25 November 2021 using the audit tools Sitemorse and WAVE. The test was carried out by the Council of the Isles of Scilly on a sample of 1,250 pages.