Website Accessibility Statement

Adopted: May 2026  |  Next Review: April 2027

This accessibility statement applies to the official website of Yarmouth Town Council, accessible at www.yarmouth-tc.gov.uk. Yarmouth Town Council is committed to making its website accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, in accordance with its obligations under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the “Accessibility Regulations”).

This statement was prepared following a review of the website conducted in April 2026, taking into account the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 at Level AA.

Yarmouth Town Council is committed to ensuring that its website is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We aim to comply with the AA standard of WCAG 2.1 and we continuously work to improve the accessibility of our online content.

We recognise that accessibility is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time action. We will monitor this website regularly, address issues promptly, and update this statement whenever significant changes are made to the site.

Our website currently includes a number of features to support accessibility:

• A ‘Skip to Content’ link is present at the top of each page, allowing keyboard and screen reader users to bypass the navigation menu.
• An Accessibility Toolbar is available on all pages, providing tools to increase or decrease text size, switch to greyscale or high contrast, apply a negative contrast or light background, underline all links, and switch to a more readable font.
• The site is built on WordPress with a responsive layout that adapts to different screen sizes and devices, including mobile phones and tablets.
• Navigation menus are consistently structured and labelled across all pages.
• A site search function is available to help users locate content quickly.
• Contact details, including telephone numbers and an email address, are clearly provided so that users who cannot access content online can request assistance.

Despite our efforts, we are aware of a number of areas where our website does not yet fully meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements. The table below summarises known issues. We are working to address these and will update this statement as improvements are made.

Issue	Status
Some images in the homepage slideshow and content panels lack descriptive alternative text, meaning screen reader users may not receive a meaningful description.	In progress
Certain PDF documents published on the site (e.g. meeting minutes, financial reports) may not be fully accessible to screen readers, as they were not produced with accessibility in mind.	Under review
The homepage slideshow (image carousel) does not provide controls to pause, stop or hide the animation, which can cause difficulties for users with vestibular or attention disorders.	Planned
Some linked images (e.g. the quick-link panels for Meetings, History, Contact Us) use image alt text that matches the image filename rather than providing a descriptive label.	In progress
Colour contrast of certain text elements on the site has not been fully audited against WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio requirements (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).	Under review
The Cookie Settings page and third-party tools (e.g. the Isle of Wight Echo RSS feed) have not been independently audited for accessibility.	Under review

NOTE: We believe that fixing the issues listed above does not place a disproportionate burden on Yarmouth Town Council. We are committed to addressing them progressively, prioritising those that cause the greatest barriers to users.

5. What to Do If You Cannot Access Content

If you need information from this website in a different format, or if you experience any accessibility barrier, please contact us:

Name	Brian Jacobs, Town Clerk
Email	clerk@yarmouth-tc.gov.uk
Telephone	07714 654331 (mobile)  |    01983 527093 (landline)
Office hours	Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30–12:30
Post	CHOYD, St James Street, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, PO41 0NU

We aim to respond to accessibility requests within 10 working days and to resolve or provide an alternative means of accessing the content within 20 working days.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Accessibility Regulations in England, Scotland, and Wales. If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility request, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS):

• Website: www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
• Telephone: 0808 800 0082
• Textphone: 0808 800 0084

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 at Level AA. The non-compliances are listed in Section 4 above.

7.2 Technical Specification

The website relies on the following technologies to function:

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JavaScript
• WordPress (content management system)

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with WCAG 2.1.

7.3 How We Tested This Website

This statement was prepared following a self-assessment of the website conducted in April 2026. The assessment included a review of the homepage, key content pages, and document downloads, using a combination of automated checking tools and manual inspection against WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria. We have not yet commissioned an independent third-party audit, but we intend to do so as resources allow.

Yarmouth Town Council commits to the following actions to improve accessibility:

 

Action	Priority	Target
Add meaningful alt text to all images, including slideshow slides and quick-link panels	High	Jul 2026
Review all published PDF documents for accessibility; reformat key documents as accessible PDFs	High	Oct 2026
Add pause/stop controls to the homepage image carousel	Medium	Jul 2026
Conduct a full colour contrast audit and adjust styling as required	Medium	Oct 2026
Ensure all future content added to the site complies with WCAG 2.1 Level AA	Ongoing	Ongoing
Review accessibility of embedded third-party content (RSS feeds, cookies)	Low	Jan 2027
Commission an independent accessibility audit	Medium	Apr 2027

 

This accessibility statement was first adopted in April 2026 and replaces the previous policy dated April 2020. It will be reviewed annually, or sooner if significant changes are made to the website or if relevant legislation or guidance is updated.

The previous policy referenced WCAG 2.1 compliance as a goal but did not document specific known issues, outline a remediation plan, or comply fully with the required format set out in the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 and GOV.UK guidance. This updated statement addresses those gaps.

Approved by	Yarmouth Town Council
Date adopted	May 2026
Date of next review	April 2027
Version	2.0

 

Yarmouth Town Council  |  CHOYD, St James Street, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, PO41 0NU

clerk@yarmouth-tc.gov.uk  |  www.yarmouth-tc.gov.uk