Accessibility statement for Public Access

This statement applies to content published on our Public Access sites:

• pa.chilternandsouthbucks.gov.uk/online-applications/
• publicaccess.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/online-applications/
• publicaccess.buckscc.gov.uk/online-applications/
• publicaccess.wycombe.gov.uk/idoxpa-web

Other websites managed by Buckinghamshire Council will have their own separate accessibility statements.

Public Access is run by Buckinghamshire Council through our third-party supplier Idox.

The sites should allow any user to:

• modify the line height or spacing of text
• zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the page
• navigate most of website using a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader

For advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, visit AbilityNet.

Specific issues relating to our other core websites can be found on their individual accessibility statements:

• www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk accessibility statement
• www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk accessibility statement
• www.buckscc.gov.uk accessibility statement
• www.chiltern.gov.uk accessibility statement
• www.southbucks.gov.uk accessibility statement
• www.wycombe.gov.uk accessibility statement

Public Access is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

We know some parts of our Public Access websites are not fully accessible:

• error messages on some forms are hard for screen readers to announce
• some image buttons do not have suitable alternative text descriptions
• some form inputs are missing corresponding labels
• some headings are not in a logical hierarchy order
• colour contrast is insufficient on the re-Captcha widget
• tables on the map searching widget do not always receive focus, making them hard to navigate

If you need information held on Public Access in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille email [email protected]

We'll consider your request and get back to you within 20 working days.

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

• Aylesbury Vale area: [email protected]
• Chiltern and South Bucks areas: [email protected]
• Mineral and waste planning: [email protected]
• Wycombe area: [email protected]

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Services (EASS).

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Our Public Access websites are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the issues listed below.

1. Error messages on some forms contain invalid mark-up, which affects how screen readers parse and announce this content. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
   
2. There are instances of non-unique HTML IDs, which is invalid mark-up, which affects how screen readers parse and announce the page content. This fails WCAG success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing).
   
3. Some image buttons do not have suitable alternative text descriptions, which means visually impaired users will not be informed of the button’s purpose. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose: In Context).
   
4. Some form inputs are missing a corresponding label, which affects how screen reader technology announces this content. This fails WCAG success criterion 3.3.2 ((Labels or Instructions).
   
5. Headings on some pages are not in a logical hierarchy order, which can affect how content is announced by screen reader technology and keyboard-only navigation. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
   
6. Our third-party re-Captcha widget does not use sufficient colour contrast for some elements and may be difficult to use with the keyboard. This fails WCAG success criteria 1.4.3 (Contrast: Minimum) and 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
   
7. Our third-party map searching widget sometimes use tables for layout, do not always receive focus, and are not accessible by keyboard navigation. This fails WCAG success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
   
8. Content is not contained in semantic landmark areas, which affects how assistive technologies interpret and announce the content. Using page landmarks is recommended in WCAG success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).

Not applicable.

Web content that is not subject to the standards referenced in this policy statement include:

• content that is archived
• non-HTML documentation (PDFs, Microsoft Office files) that were published before 23/09/2018
• non-HTML documentation (PDFs, Microsoft Office files) that are not essential to the services Buckinghamshire Council
• online maps and mapping services
• third party content that is not under direct control of Buckinghamshire Council or main website provider

Buckinghamshire Council is fully committed to meeting all the accessibility criteria specified in the regulatory provisions. We will continue to work with our website providers to identify the timescales needed to fix all the identified accessibility issues and provide an update with any progress made.

Buckinghamshire Council will make continuous assessments of this website’s content and update this statement when issues have been resolved.

This statement was prepared on 1 October 2021. It was last reviewed on 2 November 2021.