Meeting all the public sector website accessibility regulations

Four out of every 10 local council website homepages failed basic tests for accessibility, according to a recent study by the Society for innovation, technology and modernisation (Socitm).

However, we have ensured that HPA2 and our related Housing Related Support system (HRS) meet all the accessibility regulations that came into force for public sector bodies on 23 September 2018.

Updated guidance has been published on the Government website, GOV.UK.

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It notes that one in five people in the UK have a long-term illness, impairment or disability and that it is important that public sector websites work for everyone.

“The people who need them the most are often the people who find them hardest to use,” the guidance observes. “You may be breaking the law if you do not meet accessibility requirements.”

All our new sites meet the international WCAG 2.1. AA accessibility standard.

We have also checked for compliance by using the following external tools:

All public sector websites created after 23 September 2018 need to meet the accessibility standards.

Any older websites can argue that it is too costly to make their public sites accessible.

However, they need to publish that they have made this choice. There is a recognition in the report that councils will have to pay to meet this requirement, so if you need to update your website or forms to comply with the guidance, please contact us.

The guidance also states that “where possible, use web technologies rather than native mobile apps as it is easier to update web technologies”.