Executive decision making accessibility statement - ModernGov
This accessibility statement applies to democracy.rochdale.gov.uk.
This website is run by Rochdale 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:
- Zoom in up to 200 per cent without the text spilling off the screen.
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:
- Pages don't have a valid heading and sub-heading structure to enable screen readers to make the content easily navigable.
- Some links are not meaningful when read out of context, for example links leading to councillor profile pages.
- Some page titles are too long, which makes it harder for some people to quickly determine if the page is relevant to their needs.
- Some elements including buttons and lists don't have the necessary closing tags, which can prevent screen readers from describing them accurately.
- PDFs are not accessible.
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 council@rochdale.gov.uk
- Phone 01706 647474
- Write to: Customer Services, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU
When contacting us please tell us:
- The web address (URL) of the content.
- Your name and email address.
- The format you need, for example, audio CD, braille or large print.
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working 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, please
- Email: committee.services@rochdale.gov.uk
- Phone: 01706 924718
- Write to: Committee Services, Rochdale Borough Council, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU.
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
If you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Call or email us to contact us.
Technical information about this website's accessibility
Rochdale Borough 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 and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships)
Some of the code on this site uses parameters that screen readers might interpret as old depreciated HTML tags, which may confuse them as they parse the page. This does not comply with WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 – Info and Relationships (WCAG 2.1).
We aim to fix this by October 2021.
Success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.4.10 (Section headings)
Some pages on this site don't have a correct heading structure, which may confuse screen readers when they try to describe the content on the page. This does not comply with WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 – Info and Relationships (WCAG 2.1) (A) or 2.4.10 – Section Headings (WCAG 2.1) (AAA).
We aim to fix this by October 2021.
Success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled)
Some pages have titles that are too long, which make it more difficult for users to quickly determine if the content is relevant to what they're looking for. This does not comply with WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 – Page Titled (WCAG 2.1) (A).
We aim to fix this by October 2021.
Success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context))
Some links to councillor profile pages have no title attribute to enable screen readers to describe their destination meaningfully to the user. In addition, some links to councillor profile pages have the same link text but go to different pages. These issues do not comply with WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 – Link Purpose (In Context) (WCAG 2.1) (A).
We aim to fix this by October 2021.
Success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing)
Elements on this site such as buttons and lists don't contain the necessary closing tags, which can cause errors for screen readers when they try to parse the page. This does not comply with WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 – Parsing (WCAG 2.1) (A).
We plan to fix this by October 2021.
PDF files
The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format for representing documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system used to create them, as well as of the output device on which they are to be displayed or printed. PDF files specify the appearance of pages in a document in a reliable, device-independent manner.
We have a large number of PDFs published on the website of which some may prevent some users from fully accessing these. Non-accessible content with some PDFs include the language not being set, alternative text not being applied to all images and bookmarks not being applied to documents longer than 15 pages.
We're currently working on a project to run regular accessibility reports, identify and fix issues and aim to complete this project by May 2023. We'll aim to make all new PDF documents accessible that we publish from 7 May 2021.
To help make files more accessible we will be using Adobe Acrobat Pro which is an application that creates and edits PDF files. It has a number of tools for evaluating and repairing the accessibility of PDF files.
Disproportionate burden
We've assessed the cost of fixing the following issues. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.
- There are no issues that are currently being listed as being assessed as a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
The following types of content do not need to be fixed on the website because they are exempt from the accessibility regulations.
- PDFs and other documents – some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information from external agencies. We plan to either fix these or link to the pdf on the host website.
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. - Live and audio video – we do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
- Pre-recorded audio and video – we are not required to fix pre-recorded audio and video content published before 23 September 2020.
- Third party content – content on social media sites that is under someone else's control.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website. Our roadmap includes:
- We're working with our supplier to fix a number of issues. We also have a large number of PDFs on the website and have a dedicated resource to making these accessible by May 2023.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 3 February 2021. It was last reviewed on 1 July 2021.
This website was last tested on 10 March 2021. The test was carried out by Sitemorse.
Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website
You have a right to use (or 'access) online public sector information and services. This means that public sector websites and mobile apps should be easy to use.