This statement should be read in relation to our main accessibility statement.
This statement applies to part of our online services available via our website - our 'Citizen Access' portal which provides access to Housing Benefit services online and Council Tax Support services online (including Landlords Council Tax and Non-Domestic Business Rates); the functionality is provided by NEC Software Solutions UK.
We know some parts of this system are not fully accessible, see Technical information about this system's accessibility.
Feedback and reporting accessibility problems
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Technical information about this system’s accessibility
We are committed to making our online services accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations, 2018.
This part of our website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1, AA standard, known as 'WCAG 2.1 AA', due the non-compliances listed below.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Currently:
- some instances of inappropriate colour contrast exist, meaning reduced readability for people with moderately low vision (if not using contrast-enhancing assistive technology) - this relates to WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 1.4.3
- some abbreviations are not expanded on first use which may cause issues for customers not understanding the context, and may result in links which don't have a clear destination - this relates to WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 3.1.3 and 3.1.4
- some images do not have a meaningful plain text alternative, so users of assistive technologies may be unable to discern visual content - this relates to WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 1.1.1
- it's difficult for keyboard-only users to determine visually which form control is in focus - this relates to WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 2.4.11
- there is inconsistent presentation and layout when users move between parts of our main website and this system, which may cause difficulties for customers to interact with repeated when locating specific information or functionality more than once - this relates to WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 3.2.3
- some deprecated attributes are included in HTML table code, which may cause browser compliancy issues or be incompatible with assistive technology now or in future - this relates to WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 4.1
We have identified the areas of this system that need to be addressed in order to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We're working with our suppliers to rectify known issues at the time of each software update.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 7 November 2023.
Tests were carried our by our Web Services Team using automated and manual checks across a sample of user-journeys within the system against the WCAG 2.1 guidelines; the results of the sample checks are indicative of the accessibility status across the wider system.