Accessibility
Accessibility statement for Wakefield.gov.uk
This accessibility statement applies to wakefield.gov.uk
This website is run by Wakefield Council
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
My Computer My Way 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. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement.
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: customerservices@wakefield.gov.uk
call: 0345 8 506 506
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 14 days.
If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email us.
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, contact:
Wakefield Council Website Team
Read tips on contacting organisation about inaccessible websites.
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 D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Difficulty with hearing - Typetalk calls welcome
- from a textphone dial: 18001 0345 8 503 503
- from a telephone dial: 18002 0345 8 503 503
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Wakefield 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 2.2 AA standard, due 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
Ensure text has sufficient contrast (AA) WCAG 2.0 AA 1.4.3
To comply with WCAG AA, the colour of text must sufficiently contrast with its background color, so that people with moderate visual impairments can read it.
Location of issue on website:
Our Genealogy search web page “Search by cemetery” dropdown options.
https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/libraries-and-local-history/local-archives-and-family-history/genealogy-search/
Issue will be fixed: March 2024
“Earlier” text sports timetables. Our sports timetables are provided by a third party provider so cannot be fixed.
Location of issue on website:
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/aspire-thepark/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/sun-lane-leisure/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/featherstone-sports-complex/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/minsthorpe-leisure/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/normanton-leisure/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/thornes-park-stadium/
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Ensure form controls have labels WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
People using screen readers are not able to see the layout of a form. To make forms accessible, they must define explicit text labels for each form control.
The form effected is provided by a third party and cannot be fixed.
Location of issue on website:
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/contact-wakefield-council/your-district-newsletter/
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Ensure form controls contrast sufficiently with their surroundings WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.11
Form controls must appear sufficiently distinct from their surroundings, so that people with visual impairments are still able to clearly see them.
This issue is present on filtering of all Wakefield Council events web pages.
Location of issues on website:
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/wakefield-events/hospitality-events/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/libraries-and-local-history/library-information/library-events/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/parks-countryside-and-outdoor-spaces/activities-and-events-in-our-parks-and-countryside/parks-and-countryside-events/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/museums-and-castles/museums-and-castles-events/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/sport-activities-and-classes/walking/walking-groups-timetable/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/business/training-courses/training-calendar/
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Identify the purpose of fields programmatically WCAG 2.1 AA 1.3.5
Location of issue on website:
Our Genealogy search web page “Search by cemetery” form fields.
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/libraries-and-local-history/local-archives-and-family-history/genealogy-search/
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Avoid using the same link text for different destinations WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.4
Screen reader users will see links on a page listed without context, so you should ensure the same link text is not used to point to different web addresses.
Location of issue on website:
Most of these issues are found in the Your District section of our website.
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/your-district/
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Fix duplicate IDs WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.1
All ID attributes on a page must be unique, or accessible technologies used by the page can stop working.
Location of issue on website:
All our events web pages.
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/about-the-council/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/publication-scheme/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/search
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Write lists or groups of links semantically WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
Lists of related items should be written semantically as a list.
Location of issue on website: Any web page with a paginated document library.
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Specify a title for all frames WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.1
All frames must define a readable title, which briefly described the contents of that frame.
Location of issue on website: Most of these issues have been identified on our car park web pages.
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Remove obsolete scope attribute for table cell WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
The scope attribute for <td> elements that act as headers for other elements has been deprecated in HTML5. Use a <th> element instead.
Location of issue on website:
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/elections/previous-years-election-results/district-council-election-results-may-2022/
Issue will be fixed: expected April 2024
Add headers to tables WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
Tables which contain information should have clear headers defined.
Location of issue on website:
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/aspire-thepark/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/sun-lane-leisure/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/featherstone-sports-complex/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/minsthorpe-leisure/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/normanton-leisure/
- https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-facilities/thornes-park-stadium/
Issue will be fixed: provided by an external supplier, fix date to be confirmed.
Wakefield council online forms
All Wakefield Council online forms have the following accessibility issues:
- WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible
- WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text
- WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow
- WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content: ARIA progress bar nodes must have an accessible name
- WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA attributes must conform to valid names
Issue will be fixed: to be confirmed.
We have reviewed the issues identified in the last audit and have split those into actions we can solve. We plan to address these issues by the dates shown for each issue and provide regular updates about our in-house development teams roadmap for fixes.
If you find an issue that we not yet identified, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.
Disproportionate burden
All our Local Plan planning in scope PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software for the following WCAG issues:
- tag all PDFs WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
- make sure PDFs are machine readable WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1
- make sure PDFs have a title WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2
- make sure PDFs specify a default language WCAG 2.0 A 3.1.1
- specify headings for every PDF WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
- make sure PDF headings follow a logical order WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
- make sure the first heading in a PDF is a H1 WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1
- improve weak PDF titles WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2
- make sure long PDFs use bookmarks to aid navigation WCAG 2.0 AA 2.4.5
We've assessed the cost of fixing the issue of all inaccessible Local Plan planning PDF's not being fully accessible to screen reader software.
We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
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.
Third party content
Some of our services include third party content which we have no control over such as documents which are sent to us and uploaded as part of our services. The accessibility regulations do not require us to manage these kinds of content, but if you have a problem with any of the content hosted on this website, please contact us using the methods above and we will try to help.
Video content
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We also have some existing pre-recorded video content that was published before the 23 September 2020. This content is also exempt from the regulations. All new video content we produce will have appropriate captions, audio descriptions and transcripts as necessary.
Online Maps
Our service includes the use of online maps to show certain geographical information. These are not used for navigational purposes and are exempt under the regulations. If you require the information presented in an online map in a different format, please contact us to discuss reasonable adjustments.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 6 April 2023. It was last reviewed on 19 February 2024.
This website is tested every 5 days. The test is carried out by Silktide software. The testing uses semi-automated tool with some checks carried out manually.
Browsealoud - reading and translation support
Need help reading or translating our website?
We have added the world-leading digital inclusion software, Browsealoud, to our website - making our content more accessible with reading and translation support.
Click on the Browsealoud launchpad image that appears on the top right of your screen to launch the support toolbar. Then simply click on any text to hear it read out loud.
How does Browsealoud help?
Browsealoud offers a host of reading and translation support - helping you to access and understand our website better.
- text-to-speech: click on or select any text to hear it read aloud
- translation: written and spoken translations in multiple languages
- text magnification: enlarges text and reads it out loud
- mp3 generation: converts selected text into an MP3 audio file
- screen mask: blocks distractions on screen with a tinted mask
- web page simplifier: removes clutter from the screen - great for printing pages
- settings: customise options to suit individual needs or preferences
All the features are accessed from an easy-to-use, floating toolbar - allowing you to drag and drop it anywhere on screen.
Need support?
Visit support.texthelp.com, the dedicated support portal from Texthelp - the makers of Browsealoud.
Did you find Browsealoud useful?
Texthelp are constantly striving to provide the very best digital inclusion software for those who need it the most. They’d love to know what you think of Browsealoud, contact marketing@browsealoud.com
Accessibility options on your device
Text size
Press the Ctrl (PC) or Cmd (Mac) key together with the + key to increase text size. To decrease text size press the Ctrl (PC) or Cmd (Mac) key together with the - key. Alternatively use the BrowseAloud Text Magnifier or Simplify functions.
Windows
Windows has an accessibility tool set. It's in the start menu under All programs / Accessories / Ease of Access.
Mac
The Mac's toolset is called Accessibility and it's in System Preferences.
iPhone and iPad
Go to Settings / General / Accessibility
Android
Go to Settings / System / Accessibility