Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to innorthsomerset.co.uk.

This website is run by the Economy Team at North Somerset 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 using your browser or device settings
  • 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.

1. How accessible this website is

We know that some parts of this website are not fully accessible. The known issues are listed in the “Non-accessible content” section below.

2. Feedback and contact information

If you need information from this website in a different format — such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille — contact us:

We will consider your request and get back to you within five working days.

3. Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page, or you think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, email us at business@n-somerset.gov.uk.

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).

4. Technical information about this website’s accessibility

North Somerset Council is committed to making this 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 to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • The logo links in the header and footer of every page do not have a meaningful name, so screen reader users hear a string of style code instead of “In North Somerset, home page” — WCAG 2.2 A 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
  • Embedded maps do not have a title, so screen reader users are not told what the frame contains before entering it — WCAG 2.2 A 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value. This affects nine pages, mainly in the employment drop-in hubs section.
  • Some pages have no main heading, and some have more than one, which makes it harder to navigate the page with a screen reader — WCAG 2.2 A 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
  • Some pages skip heading levels, for example going from a second-level heading straight to a fourth-level one — WCAG 2.2 A 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
  • A small number of links contain only an image or icon with no text alternative, so their purpose is not announced — WCAG 2.2 A 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
  • Three images on the UKSPF capacity building page have no alternative text — WCAG 2.2 A 1.1.1 Non-text Content.
  • The site search box and the newsletter sign-up field have labels in the page code, but those labels are hidden in a way that stops screen readers announcing them. The month and year filters on the events page, and two fields on the add an event page, have no labels at all — WCAG 2.2 A 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
  • Introductory text on the homepage sits over a photograph, and in the lighter areas of that photograph the text does not have enough contrast against its background — WCAG 2.2 AA 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).
  • White text on the pink newsletter panel falls very slightly below the required contrast ratio — WCAG 2.2 AA 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).
  • The “Skip to Content” link moves the page past the main heading rather than to it, and does not reliably move keyboard focus with it — WCAG 2.2 A 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks.

5. What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are working through the issues listed above. We are prioritising the ones that affect every page, such as link names and frame titles, followed by heading structure and form labels across individual pages.

We test this website using the WAVE accessibility evaluation tool, and we check new pages for accessibility before they are published. We review this statement at least once a year, and update it as issues are resolved.

6. Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 27 July 2026. It was last reviewed on 27 July 2026.

This website was last tested in July 2026. Testing was carried out by the Economy Team at North Somerset Council, using the WAVE accessibility evaluation tool together with an automated structural check covering all 69 pages listed in the site’s page sitemap.