This accessibility statement applies to www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
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 aren’t fully accessible. We will update the statement when issues are fixed or when we expect them to be fixed.
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:
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in ten 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, you can let us know by using our web feedback form, which you'll find on every web page. Or you can contact us.
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
We are 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 2.2 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.
We will update the statement when issues are fixed or when we expect them to be fixed.
Non-compliance with accessibility regulations
Content should be written as clearly and as simply as possible. In some areas, content is ‘fairly difficult to read’ based on the Flesch Reading Ease score. This fails Success Criterion 3.1.5. (reading level) - We aim to continuously review and update all website content. All new content should conform to a ‘standard’ level of reading ease or higher.
We have forms in an inaccessible PDF or DOC format. We are working towards converting all forms to an accessible electronic format. This is an ongoing long-term project.
We know that some of our online forms are not easy for everyone to use. We are making a plan to find and fix these problems. This is a long-term project, and we are working with our digital forms team to make our forms more accessible.
Pages do not start with a level 1 heading as the navigation which is above the main title is listed as a H2. Breadcrumbs also have a H2 title. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1. We aim to resolve this issue by October 2026.
There is no easy access to the sitemap on the website without knowing the exact URL. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.5. We aim to resolve this issue by October 2026.
Some of our web pages do not have clear page titles. Page titles help people understand what a page is about before they read it. If a title is unclear or too general, it can make it harder for people to find the information they need. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.2. We regularly check our website and fix problems when we find them.
There is a colour contrast issue on our 'Family Help' subsite. This fails WCAG 2.2: Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum). We aim to have this issue fixed by July 2026.
People using mobile devices cannot zoom in by double tapping on some pages. Instead, they must use two fingers to pinch and zoom. This can make it harder for some people to view content. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.1. We aim to resolve this issue by October 2026.
The Google CAPTCHA used on the website is not fully accessible. Some parts of it are still available to assistive technologies, even though they should be marked as decorative. This can make it more difficult for people who use screen readers and other assistive tools. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.1.1. We aim to resolve this issue by September 2026.
The dropdown button, for the filters on directory pages, does not have an appropriate label. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.1.1. We aim to resolve this issue by August 2026.
Active pagination button, when taking focus from keyboard, does not meet the minimum contrast requirement. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3. We aim to resolve this issue by August 2026.
There is an element that takes focus when tabbing through the page which is not visually displayed on the screen. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.3. We aim to resolve this issue by September 2026.
The "News" heading (H2) is used as a link but is not descriptive enough (e.g. simply labelled “News”). This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4. We aim to resolve this issue by September 2026.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role, value).
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. We plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
The Public Sector Body Accessibility Regulations 2018 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 should meet accessibility standards.
Live video
Live video streams do not have captions. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.4 (captions, live).
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 on 01 April 2023. It was last reviewed on 05 June 2026.
This website was last tested in June 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. This test of a representative sample of pages was carried out by our web team.
The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools and manual testing.