Accessibility statements

Planning accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to publicaccess.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 and understand 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.
  • Use the alternative text on images.
  • Use form controls as they are labelled.
  • See a sufficient colour contrast between background and foreground elements.
  • Use a keyboard to navigate forms and other content.

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:

  • Some links have the same link text but go to different website addresses (URLs).
  • Due to a technical issue, planning documents can only be viewed in Internet Explorer.

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.

If you cannot view the map on our 'contact us' 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, please

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

Success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text)

Some links have the same text as other links but go to different URLs, which may cause confusion. 

Success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing)

Some code tags have invalid attributes, which may hinder assistive technology from rendering the site correctly.

This website is maintained by a third party, so we're unable to fix these issues ourselves.

Planning documents

Due to a technical issue, planning documents can currently only be viewed in Internet Explorer.

We're working with our suppliers on a solution and expect to fix this issue in a system update in late 2021.

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. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

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.
  • We're working with our support team to resolve the issue with viewing maps and planning application documents on modern browsers. We expect to fix this issue in a system update by late 2021.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on Friday, 18 September 2020. It was last reviewed on Friday, 7 May 2021.

This website was last tested on Thursday, 10 September 2020. The test was carried out by our supplier.