| Language and Accessibility

Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to content published on carlisle.gov.uk and it's sub-domains, including those for third-party systems.

This website is run by Carlisle City 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 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

We have 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.

We also provide access to a third-party accessibility tool "Recite Me" which can help a user navigate the website and make it more accessible.

For further information on how to use this toolbar, visit Recite Me Accessibility Toollbar User Guide..

How accessible this website is

This site is partially compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. However, we are working to improve both our compliance and the experience of our users.

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

  • some tables may not have row headers
  • some heading elements are not consistent
  • some links or buttons may not be correctly labelled
  • some images may not have good alternative text
  • some third-party modules may not be under our control
  • many documents are in PDF format and may not be accessible

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 please contact:

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:

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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Carlisle City 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:

  • non-compliances - this means the content in question is in scope of the regulations, but there is an accessibility problem with it
  • an exemption - this means the inaccessible content is out of scope of the regulations, or it would be a disproportionate burden to make it accessible

Non accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Alternative text for images inside links is not always specified. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to identify and fix these by November 2021. When we publish new content, we will make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
  • Headings on some pages may not be in a logical nested order. We plan to identify and fix these by November 2021.
  • Buttons or links on some pages may not have a correct role identified. This fails WCAG 2.1 A success criterion (Name, Role, Value). We plan to identify and fix these by November 2021.
  • Some pages don't scroll across two dimensions on small screens. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA, success criterion 1.4.10.  We plan to fix these by December 2021.
  • Not all controls change appearance when they are selected. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA, success criterion 2.4.7. We plan to fix these by December 2021.
  • Users can't quickly skip to content. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA, success criterion 2.4.1. We plan to fix these by December 2021.

Interactive tools and transactions

Most of our online services are provided by third-party applications, these are platforms and websites developed by external suppliers. The development of these third-party applications are partly, or wholly out of our control, so they may not conform to the same levels of accessibility of the main website. We require that any new third-party system we commission to be Web Content Accessibility 2.1 AA compliant as a minimum.

Our Online payments via our website and the payment element of our online forms, for example, Order a new waste container, does not meet the required accessibility standards.  As part of our recent contract renewal with our third-party supplier we have purchased the relevant upgrades which will address the accessibility failures.  The date for implementation will be added once known but it is hoped to be before June 2022.

Our online forms, for example Contact Us use 3rd party software and do not meet all the required accessibility standards. We are currently reviewing our options as part of our renewal and will update the statement once the outcome is known.

Disproportionate burden

The following third-party online systems currently don't meet all the required accessibility standards:

We've assessed the costs of fixing the issues with navigation and accessing information, and interactive tools and transactions.  We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will be making another assessment when the supplier contract is up for renewal or as part of the reorganisation of local government in Cumbria which comes into effect on 1 April 2023 which will result in a full review of all systems.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Using third-party content or functionality

We often link to third-party websites or documents when there is useful information that relates to our services. We cannot guarantee that all 3rd party websites or documents are accessible.

For example, we link to third-party websites such as official information sources like www.gov.uk or www.electoralcommision.org.uk

We create content on 3rd party platforms. For example, we create posts on Facebook and Twitter. We are responsible for making sure the content is accessible but we're not responsible for the Facebook or Twitter platforms.

PDFs and other documents

Many of our PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be structured so they are accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2.

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 accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish from November 2021 will meet accessibility standards.

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We plan to improve accessibility on this website by:

  • Developing guidance and training for our web content editors. 
  • Reviewing this website to address any Level A and AA accessibility issues. This includes the content and design of the website.
  • Reviewing our third-party sites to identify accessibility issues and agree how these will be resolved.

As part of the reorganisation of local government in Cumbria, websites for the new authorities will be developed when they come into effect on 1 April 2023. We will continue to ensure that we improve the accessibility of our existing content alongside the migration of content to a new website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared in December 2019. It was last reviewed on 22 October 2021.

This website was fully automated tested on 3 December 2020 by Sitemorse.

This website was last tested in October 2021 using automated checks via Silktide and ad-hoc page checks using Site Improve and browser extensions such as Wave. 

We were also audited by the Central and Digital Data Office (CDDO) on 21 July 2021. On that date, CDDO found that carlisle.gov.uk was only partially compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA. The issues found during the audit have either been fixed or added to this accessibilty statement as areas where we are not compliant.

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