This accessibility statement applies to www.visitgravesend.gov.uk, which is managed by Gravesham Borough Council’s Tourism Team and supported by the Digital Team.
The website was created in 2015 and contains historic content that falls before the introduction of the Accessibility Regulations and is therefore exempt.
We have identified issues with the website’s accessibility and compatibility with assistive technologies, which are listed in this statement.
We strive to ensure our websites are accessible to people with disabilities and those with temporary impairments.
View the site your way
There are several customisation options for your browser and device that could help you use the intranet and other websites more effectively.
AbilityNet provide advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Gravesham Borough Council’s Digital Team are committed to making its websites 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 (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
Some parts of the website may not work for everyone. Below are known issues that we either need to fix, cannot fix, or do not need to fix right now.
Links without meaningful purpose
Some of the links are not labelled clearly. This means that links do not make sense when taken out of context, and for some links it is not possible to know what the purpose of the link is. On some pages there are several links to the same resource which are repeated across elements (WCAG: 2.4.4).
Images without a description
There are some images on our website do not have appropriate alternative text. People with screen readers or other assistive devices rely on these descriptions to understand the image content and purpose (WCAG: 1.1.1).
We aim to avoid using images to minimise this issue.
Contrast issues
Some pages contain elements with low contrast between the element and its background, particularly when under focus. This can cause text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision or colour blindness (WCAG: 1.4.3).
We are working to remedy these issues. In the meantime, you can change the colours and contrast of this website to your preference by using a variety of third party tools such as Change Colors for Chrome or alternatively, a high contrast viewer such as High Contrast for Chrome may make your viewing experience better. This issue fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum (AA).
Page content does not reflow
When zooming in on the page some content does not magnify with reflow (WCAG: 1.4.10).
Headings and menus
Some of the text on the page may be styled to appear visually like a heading. This means emphasis is only visual and the heading is not defined with an appropriate HTML tag (WCAG: 2.4.6 and 1.3.1).
On some pages heading levels do not increase by one each time. This can make it difficult to navigate with assistive technologies.
Some headings are duplicated when there should only be one instance of a heading, which may cause confusion for screen reader users who use headings for navigation (WCAG: 4.1.2).
ARIA roles
There are several areas throughout the site where ARIA labels either do not exist, are duplicated or are not appropriate for the element they are describing. This can make it difficult to navigate the site with assistive technology.
We aim to fix these when we move to a new platform.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
This section covers issues that we do not need to fix right now. The law calls these exemptions.
Portable Document Formats (PDFs) and documents
Some of our PDFs that are not essential to providing our services were published before 23 September 2018. We are implementing strategies to ensure that any new PDFs or documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
If you have trouble accessing these documents, you can request an alternative format, by emailing accessibility@gravesham.gov.uk
Third-party content
Our website contains third-party content. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content, but we make best endeavours to work with the third-party to improve its accessibility. This may include:
- content or functionality on our website that we do not control, develop, or fund
- content hosted on other websites, such as social media sites.
Disproportionate burden
We believe that fixing the accessibility problems with some content and the overall platform design would be disproportionate because the platform will be retired soon. We intend to replace the existing platform with a newer, accessible alternative.
How we tested this website
We tested this website using a combination of manual and automated checks.
We carry out regular accessibility audits of the website and a full website audit on an annual basis using WCAG 2.1 AA standards which guide our long-term audit and improvement plans.
We carry out ad-hoc testing of pages and the site using third party testing tools. Much of this testing is completed with the assistance of the AXE browser plugin and the WAVE accessibility evaluation tool.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
As we are planning to move away from the existing platform soon, we are not making any significant changes to the existing platform as we do not have the capacity to do so.
Feedback and contact information
Please contact us at accessibility@gravesham.gov.uk if you have any problems with accessing our content; be as specific and detailed as you can. Please also tell us what you like and find useful.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has useful tips on contacting organisations about inaccessible websites.
Alternative formats
You can contact us at accessibility@gravesham.gov.uk if you require documents in a different format. In your message, include:
- the web address (URL) of the content
- your email address and name
- the format you need – for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio CD
Complaints process
Once you have reported a problem with our website or asked for an alternative format, but you are not happy with our response, you can use our complaints process to register your difficulty.
Enforcement procedure
If you contact us with a complaint and you’re not happy with our response contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
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’).
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 22 August 2022.