Accessibility Statement for https://localpartnerships.gov.uk/

This accessibility statement applies to Local Partnerships’ website.

This website was developed and is now hosted by Link Digital, the contents are maintained by Local Partnerships. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

For example, you should be able to:

change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet can advise on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

If you experience any accessibility issue on this website or have any comments, please contact us.

How accessible this website is

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

Parts of some pages may not work well with Assistive Technologies such as screen readers
Some menus are not fully accessible and on some text, you cannot modify the line height or spacing
Some buttons and links do not have accessible descriptions
Some pages contain headings that are not logically ordered and some you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
Some pages are not fully usable with the keyboard
Some pages have an illogical focus order
Secondary menu items change order when an item is selected
Some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
There is a limit to how far you can magnify the map on our ‘contact us’ page and the cookie disclaimer
Some images have text on them

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Local Partnerships 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

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and the exemptions listed below.

Reflow on the homepage cookie disclaimer:

We’ve made the necessary adjustments where possible, but since the cookie bar is managed by a third-party plugin, our ability to customise it is somewhat limited. We have ensured the website’s most essential functions and content are still accessible even on smaller screens or with zoom adjustments. While 320×256 is rare, we know zooming in is important for visually impaired users.

Non-accessible content

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

1. Images of Text

Issue: “Some older featured images may still contain text, such as post titles or details. We are working to ensure all future images will be free of text.”
WCAG 2.2 Criteria:
- 1.4.5 Images of Text (unchanged from WCAG 2.1): Text must not be presented within images unless essential.

2. PDF Issues

Issue: “Accessibility issues related to PDFs, particularly the Commercial Guidance and Toolkit document. We are transitioning towards displaying content as minisites rather than relying on PDFs.”
WCAG 2.2 Criteria:
- 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (unchanged from WCAG 2.1): Structure and relationships of content must be programmatically determined, like headings and lists.
- 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (unchanged from WCAG 2.1): Text must meet a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
- 2.4.3 Focus Order (unchanged from WCAG 2.1): Navigating through content must follow a logical order using a keyboard.

3. Resize Text

Issue: “Improving text resizing functionality. When users zoom in, media queries can affect the display on different screen sizes.”
WCAG 2.2 Criteria:
- 1.4.4 Resize Text (unchanged from WCAG 2.1): Users must be able to resize text up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
- 1.4.10 Reflow (unchanged from WCAG 2.1): Content should reflow without requiring horizontal scrolling on small screens when zoomed in.

(b) Disproportionate burden

Accessibility Issues: Disproportionate Burden

We believe our method for conducting accessibility reviews is fair and proportionate.

According to the accessibility regulations, not every element on a website must be made accessible, particularly if doing so would impose a disproportionate burden on us.

After evaluation, we’ve determined that addressing all PDF documents (since 23 September 2018) and text with images published on this website would present a disproportionate burden.

Since the new website launched in July 2023, we have had a total number of 8,174 files downloaded (for all file formats), we’ve never received a complaint from website users about accessibility issues.

Given this, we don’t think the time, effort, and resources required to fix all existing documents and images are warranted. Instead, we’ll focus on making sure new documents are accessible, especially when they support essential services or are specifically intended for individuals with disabilities.

Cost: Resolving all accessibility issues—including PDFs, images, text resizing, and keyboard navigation—would require significant resources that exceed our current budget for website and app development and maintenance.
Budget Impact: Allocating funds to fix these accessibility issues would divert resources away from other critical projects and services that are more essential to our specialised audience. This could negatively impact our ability to deliver on key priorities.
User Impact: While some users may be affected, the number is relatively low, and alternative printed formats are available for many documents.
Benefits of Fixing Issues: Although resolving the issues would improve accessibility, the high cost and limited user impact do not justify the expense. We are exploring other ways to make the content available in more accessible formats, such as transitioning to “minisites” where possible.
Duration: This disproportionate burden will apply for the foreseeable future as we continue to evaluate how best to allocate resources. We are committed to improving accessibility where feasible but must prioritise actions that provide the greatest benefit to the widest range of users within our financial constraints.
Procurement and Contractual Constraints: Since the current website and services may be partially outsourced or procured, re-tendering or renegotiating contracts to specifically address these accessibility issues would involve additional costs. Contract modifications or re-tendering could further burden the budget, and the cost of such actions would also need to be factored into future planning.

(c) Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

We do not plan to alter PDFs already published and will change text with images where possible.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will aim to meet accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website.

Following the accessibility audit in 2024, we have addressed several high-priority issues. Here’s our roadmap to continue improving accessibility:

Fix High-Priority Issues
- After the audit, we immediately addressed key barriers like low contrast, missing alt text, and keyboard navigation. These fixes enhance the site’s accessibility for all users.
  1. Pause, Stop, Hide: The X feed has been removed in favour of a video which has to be interacted with to make it play and can be paused. To view our X feed, please go to their website directly, https://x.com/LP_localgov
  2. Colour Contrast: We have addressed the items highlighted in the July 2024 audit by adjusting their colours to appear darker, ensuring better visibility against the light background.
  3. Link Purpose: Descriptive text has been added to the footer buttons, now visible on all pages, indicating the specific social media network each link directs to. While this text is not visible on the screen, it is rendered to be accessible by screen readers for improved accessibility.
  4. Bypass Blocks: A title has been added to the Google Map iFrame on the contact us page, ensuring it has the necessary label for accessibility compliance.
Remediate PDFs and Documents
- We will consider accessibility with new PDFs and convert into accessible formats like HTML or minisites where possible and ensuring new documents follow best accessibility practices.
Enhance Responsiveness and Text Zoom (3-6 Months)
- We are working to ensure the site remains fully functional at 400% zoom and is optimised for all device sizes.
User Testing with Assistive Technologies
- We will aim to conduct testing with screen readers, magnifiers, and other tools to gather feedback and improve user experience.
Ongoing Monitoring and Training (Ongoing)
- Where possible, automated accessibility testing and audits will be integrated into our workflow, with staff training to uphold accessibility standards.
Accessibility Statement and Feedback Loop (Ongoing)
- We will update our accessibility statement and maintain an open channel for user feedback to keep improving accessibility over time.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 24 September 2024. It was last reviewed on 10 October 2024.

This website was last tested on 24 September 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by Link Digital alongside our own testing. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website team. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page that you would like to tell us about, please contact our Marketing and Communications team:

email LPcomms@localpartnerships.gov.uk
call 020 4526 8474

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

email LPcomms@localpartnerships.gov.uk
call 020 4526 8474

We will consider your request and get back to you in 10 days.

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, call or email us using details given on that page for directions.

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