Accessibility statements

Licensing accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to licensing.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, this means you should be able to:

  • Understand the page name as our web pages have page titles that clearly describe their topic or purpose.
  • Use the website easier as we have a logical navigation order.
  • Use the content page structure as it's presented and maintained in a meaningful sequence.
  • Use descriptive links on our website so they can be read out of context and users know where they will go next.

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:

  • Text size is fixed.
  • Navigation fields aren't accessible using just a keyboard.

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:

  1. The web address (URL) of the content.
  2. Your name and email address.
  3. 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: licensing.reg@rochdale.gov.uk
  • Telephone: 01706 924114
  • Write to: Licensing Unit, 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

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

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.  

Success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.4.10 (Section headings)

This website's homepage has an incorrect headings structure that can prevent screen readers from being able to follow the on-page content correctly. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 - Info and Relationships (WCAG) (A) or success criterion 2.4.10 Section Headings (AAA).

It is currently a disproportionate burden to change the back office system to correct the headings structure. This will be reconsidered at any time we consider changing the supplier of our back office system.

Success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast - Minimum)  

The text on the site cannot be resized, which can make it difficult to read at a lower contrast. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 - Contrast - Minimum. (WCAG) (A).

It is currently a disproportionate burden to change the back office system to one with greater functionality to resize text. This will be reconsidered at any time we consider changing the supplier of our back office system.

Success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard)

The pages on this site lack the event handlers to enable keyboards to scroll up and down the content. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 - Keyboard (WCAG) (A).

It is currently a disproportionate burden to change the back office system to one with greater functionality to enable navigation of the whole site with just a keyboard. This will be reconsidered at any time we consider changing the supplier of our back office system. 

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

There is no content on this website outside the scope of the accessibility regulations.

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:

  • Plain English - the language used on the site will, where possible, be concise, easy to understand and free from jargon, abbreviations and technical terms.

This website is maintained by a third party. There may be issues we're unable to fix ourselves.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on Friday, 18 September 2020. It was last reviewed on Monday, 8 March 2021.

This website was last tested on 6 November 2020. The test was carried out by Sitemorse.