Renfrewshire Council

Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to https://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk.

This statement summarises where we are and where we plan to get to for this website.

On this page:


Using Renfrewshire.gov.uk

This website is run by Renfrewshire 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 400% without the text spilling off the screen 
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard or speech recognition software 
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver). 

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. 

We're also working towards making renfrewshire.gov.uk text as simple as possible to read and understand. 


How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example: 

  • some pages do not specify a language
  • some pages do not provide a skip link on top of the page
  • some page elements are not visibly keyboard focusable 
  • some pages have poor colour contrast 
  • some links rely on colour to be distinguishable 
  • some tables do not have associated row headers 
  • some input elements do not have associated labels 
  • some links do not have meaningful text 
  • some ARIA attributes do not match their role 
  • some ARIA parent roles do not contain child roles 
  • some pages feature an accesskey which can cause conflictions. 

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, email web@renfrewshire.gov.uk

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, email web@renfrewshire.gov.uk

We'll aim to get back to you in 10 working days.


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 feedback or complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)


Technical information about this website's accessibility

Renfrewshire Council is committed to making its websites 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 2.2 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. 

Some pages do not specify a language, so screen reader users may have trouble understanding the pronunciation and characteristics of the content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.1 Language of Page. 

Some pages do not provide a skip link on top of the page, so screen reader users and keyboard only users will be unable to bypass blocks of content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks. 

Some page elements are not visibly keyboard focusable, so visually impaired users may have trouble navigating throughout the website. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible. 

Some pages have poor colour contrast, so visually impaired users may experience problems accessing the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum). 

Some links rely on colour to be distinguishable, so visually impaired users may have trouble navigating throughout the website. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.1 Use of Colour. 

Some tables do not have associated row headers, so screen reader users will not be able to fully understand the information contained within the table. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. 

Some input elements do not have associated labels, so screen reader users may experience problems completing the forms. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions. 

Some links do not have meaningful text, so users may have trouble understanding the purpose of a link. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).

Some ARIA attributes do not match their role, so users using assistive technology may experience nonsensical user interface (UI) information that does not represent the actual UI of the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value. 

Some ARIA parent roles do not contain child roles, so users using assistive technology will not be able to perform specifically intended accessibility commands. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. 

Some pages feature an accesskey which can cause conflictions, so users who use speech to interact with their devices can experience unintended consequences. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts.


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

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and other documents are essential for providing and using our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services. 

If not eligible for exemptions, any new PDFs or documents published on renfrewshire.gov.uk will meet the accessibility standards. 

For existing PDFs, we replace non-accessible PDFs with accessible HTML pages as part of our content plan to migrate to a new renfrewshire.gov.uk. 

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.

Maps

We do not audit these for accessibility as we do not provide maps for navigational purposes, and therefore these maps are exempt from the accessibility regulations.


What we're doing to improve accessibility

We have developed a Digital Experience vision and completed a Discovery and Alpha phase for the redevelopment of renfrewshire.gov.uk.  

We are improving content on the existing Renfrewshire.gov.uk to prepare for the next phase of development which will see the launch of a beta.renfrewshire.gov.uk between September 2024 and February 2025.  

As part of the roll-out of the new renfrewshire.gov.uk, existing accessibility issues will be fixed, and old inaccessible content will be reviewed. This new website will be supported by a new Content Management System (LocalGov Drupal) and a design system. The design system will include a library of web components that have been designed and built with accessibility as a core focus. We'll use Figma, Chromatic and other tools to test the accessibility of the design system. 

We have increased capacity in the Digital Experience team to implement new approaches to accessibility across our websites. The team has already launched The Thread and published guidelines on accessibility and content writing, including guidance on the use of PDF and other documents online


Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared in September 2020. It was last reviewed in January 2024. 

This website was last tested to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard in January 2024. 

The test was carried out by Renfrewshire Council. We tested 10 pages across the website, including our home page, popular pages and a cross-section of layouts and functionality. The pages were tested using a combination of manual and automated testing tools, including: 

Email web@renfrewshire.gov.uk to request the full accessibility test report for renfrewshire.gov.uk.