This accessibility statement applies to www.staffordbc.gov.uk.

The website is run by Stafford Borough Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• display the text in a single column when you change the size of the browser window
• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using device and/or browser settings
• 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)

The website is designed to be used by all current browsers and devices. We try to make the content of the website as clear, concise and free of jargon as possible.

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:

• most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
• you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
• 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 please email corporatesupport@staffordbc.gov.uk.

We will contact you regarding your request within 5 working days.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Our offices have audio induction loops if required or you can contact the relevant department prior to your visit to arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Find out how to contact us

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 Corporate Support by emailing the issue to corporatesupport@staffordbc.gov.uk

We will contact you regarding your issue within 5 working days.

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

Stafford Borough Council is committed to making its websites 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

Images

Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This includes images supplied by a third party for use on the events calendar. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

When we publish new content we’ll make sure our images meet accessibility standards.

Older PDFs and documents

Some older PDFs (not related to essential services) may not be accessible. They may have accessibility issues such as missing text alternatives and missing document structure. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content) and 1.3.1 (info and relationships).

We will remove or update these as part of our ongoing website maintenance. New PDFs and documents will meet accessibility standards.

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

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 streams do not have captions (live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations)

Third Party Websites

Some services are built and hosted through third party software and are designed to look like our website but may not meet accessibility standards. New systems, such as the online forms provided by GOSS, will include accessibility requirements in the system specification. We will work with suppliers of older systems to try and improve accessibility.

Third party websites include the following.

• Job Applications System
• Online forms (GOSS) - WCAG 2.2 compliant
• Our Beautiful Borough 
• Payments System
• Planning Applications System

Leisure and cultural services are run by Freedom Leisure on behalf of the council. Their website looks different to the main Stafford Borough Council website.

Third Party PDFs and Documents

Some documents produced by a third party are not compliant. They may have accessibility issues such as missing text alternatives and missing document structure. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content) and 1.3.1 (info and relationships).

We will request that new documents comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

This website is automatically tested every 7 days by Siteimprove. It checks the website according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, gives us an accessibility score and reports any issues found. Our web team regularly review and resolve any issues detected.

We will encourage web authors to publish website content on web pages (HTML) rather than in PDF format.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 8 March 2019. It was last reviewed on 27 August 2024. Last updated 27 August 2024.

We use the findings of the Siteimprove tests and our own testing when preparing this accessibility statement.