This accessibility statement applies to hawkhurst-pc.gov.uk.
This website is run by Hawkhurst Parish 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.
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 can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement.
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 office@hawkhurst-pc.gov.uk
- phone 01580 752 058
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within a week.
If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact’ page, call or email us for directions.
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: office@hawkhurst-pc.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
Hawkhurst Parish 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 standards and WCAG 2.2 AA standards, 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
Focus indication is lost when moving through the carousel on the home page. This is only for 2 tab moves and the carousel is for news content rather than used for navigational purposes. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (A).
The carousel on the home page auto-scrolls. This may distract some users and there are no controls available to stop this movement unless a user has placed focus on the carousel. This fails WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (A).
On some pages where there are accordions or other collapsible pieces of content, these may not be correctly read out to screen readers because of the use of the button role. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).
On some pages where there are images such as for pictures of the sports pavilion, there are invisible links without link text which are used for expanding the images. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).
We are working with our website developer to fix these issues and constantly working to improve the accessibility of our content.
If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.
Disproportionate burden
At this time, we have made no claims of disproportionate burden.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
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. For example, we do not plan to fix pre-regulation meeting minutes or agendas.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Online Maps
Our service includes the use of online maps to show certain geographical information such as planning information about the proposed community centre. These are not used for navigational purposes and are exempt under the regulations. If you require the information presented in an online map in a different format, please contact us to discuss reasonable adjustments.
Archive content
Some of the content in parts of the website is classified as an archive. This kind of historically recorded content is exempt from meeting the digital accessibility regulations. If you require a specific piece of archive content and it is not accessible, please contact us using the methods above and we will provide an accessible version of the content on request.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
Hawkhurst Parish Council regularly reviews content, and ensures that the website software is regularly updated. As well as responding to feedback, the Council is committed to annual external assessment of the website to help ensure the site remains accessible.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 5th January 2023 and will be reviewed on an annual basis. This website was last tested on 03/01/2023. The test was carried out by All Able Ltd. A representative sample of pages of the website were tested along with a sample of the documents from each area of the website.