Accessibility
Accessibility Statement
Horley Town Council Website
1. Introduction:
Horley Town Council recognises the importance of providing a website that is available to the widest possible audience. We are committed to making our website accessible to everyone, including blind or partially sighted visitors who use screen readers. We will continue to be proactive to increase the accessibility and usability of our website in conjunction with current government guidelines in order to make it a user-friendly experience for everyone, regardless of ability.
2. Website Accessibility Regulations 2018 and Enforcement Procedures:
Legislation
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 requires public sector bodies, which includes local councils, to ensure reasonable adjustments are made to websites so they are accessible to people with various disabilities. These include:
- Impaired vision
- Motor difficulties
- Cognitive impairments or learning disabilities
- Deafness or impaired hearing
From 23 September 2020, all local council websites will have to comply with these regulations.
Horley Town Council will continue to ensure its website is accessible, in accordance with these regulations.
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)
3. Standards and Compliance:
Our website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility standards for people with disabilities and our website content complies with these standards.
We have developed this site to be AA (or higher) compliant with W3C Web Content Accessibility guidelines. We have implemented a variety of accessibility features to make it easier for people with disabilities to use our website effectively.
4. Navigation:
This website has been designed so that as many people as possible may find it straightforward to use. All main pages can be accessed via the navigation bar at the top of every page and secondary pages can be accessed via a series of headings and links provided to navigate around the website for the required information. Where a visitor’s web browser supports the latest standards, visitors will also be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- view all photographs and image files (which have been text-tagged)
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader software application (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and Voice Over)
5. Content:
The content on this website has been written to be clear, concise and readable on the screen using contrasting colours. All font sizes are relative, enabling visually impaired visitors to resize text through standard browser controls.
6. How to report any accessibility problems experienced with this website:
We are constantly looking for ways to improve accessibility of our website. If you require help or information on using this website, or in a different format, such as, accessible PDF, large print, easy read, or alternative format, then please contact us by selecting one of the following options:
- Complete our online form: https://www.horleysurrey-tc.gov.uk/contact
- Email: info@horleysurrey-tc.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01293 784765
If you cannot view the Site Map our webpage, then please contact us for advice and/or directions and we will be happy to help.
7. Technical information:
Any contractor or third party who is engaged in the design and build of webpages for this Council’s website, will be required to comply with Government Guidelines. The website will be checked frequently and any new content will be either written or edited by a trained editor to ensure it is produced as clearly as possible.
8. Non-accessible content:
With regards to historical data and documents the downloads are compliant to the Council’s chosen standards at the time they were created.
9. How this website has been tested for accessibility:
The Council’s website providers last tested the site in August 2024 against WCAG 2.2. They did this through a manual code check / verification as well as an automated tool for better and more practical analysis.
The site will next be tested in August 2025.
