This accessibility statement applies to the Love Essex website located at LoveEssex.org.
This website is run by Essex County 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:
- There is no skip link to skip repeated content
- The cookie banner cannot be dismissed with some assistive technologies
- The contrast for text in the header banner is low and can be difficult to read
- Not all content is included in landmarks making it difficult for users of assistive technologies to navigate between sections on the page
- Headings are used incorrectly and could confuse users as to the pages purpose
- The Post code field is not labelled correctly making it difficult to identify and the search for.
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 love.essex@essex.gov.uk
- We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 30 days.
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, complete this form or contact love.essex@essex.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
Essex County 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 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
There is no mechanism to skip past repeated content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass blocks).
We plan to add skip links to all repeated content by 15 November 2021.
There are instances where the visible label does not match the accessible name making it difficult for users of assistive technologies to interact with certain elements. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion (Label in name).
We plan to make the accessible name identical to the visible label by 15 November 2021.
Some items do not meet the minimum requirements for contrast making it difficult for users with visual impairments to see. This fails success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)).
We plan to improve the contrast ratios to meet the minimum requirements by 15 November 2021.
Some content is not included in landmarks and some landmarks do not exist making it difficult for users of assistive technologies to navigate. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
We plan to add the correct landmarks to all content by 15 November 2021.
The heading structure of the page is confusing as there are empty heading tags and skipped heading levels. This can confuse users to the purpose of the page This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
We plan to ensure headings are all used correctly by 15 November 2021.
The Post code field has no label making it difficult to understand the purpose of the input field and the label for recyclable items is ambiguous. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 (Labels or instructions).
We plan to add informative labels to all inputs by 15 November 2021.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Most of our older PDFs and downloadable documents do not meet accessibility standards. However, we plan to ensure that moving forward all PDFs meet WCAG 2.1 Accessibility standards.
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 documents that are essential to providing our services, such as:
- information on how users can access our service
- forms published in word documents and PDFs
we are developing a strategy to ensure that they are made accessible.
The strategy prioritises PDFs that are opened/used regularly or have information that is a statutory requirement. We are also developing training and guidance to help all document creators develop accessible documents.
Our plans are to ensure that all essential PDFs meet accessibility regulations by 15 November 2021.
Live Video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared and last reviewed on 17 September 2020. This website was last tested on 15 September 2020. The test was carried out by Essex County Council.