Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to www.pendle.gov.uk.

This website is run by Pendle 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
• zoom in up to 400% 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve made the website text as simple as possible to understand. We use the Hemingway Editor to try and achieve a readability Grade of 6 for all our content.

Reachdeck

We use Reachdeck for speech, reading and translation support on our website. It works by reading our website content out loud in a natural sounding voice. It can translate our web pages into 99 languages, and read the content aloud in 40 of the most commonly spoken languages in the world.

In addition, Reachdeck can:

• magnify text on-screen to help users with visual impairments
• convert text to audio files using an MP3 generator for offline listening
• block on-screen clutter using a screen mask, to let readers focus on the text being read
• remove ads and other distracting content using a web page simplifier for easier reading
• even read PDF documents aloud

Find out how to use ReachDeck.

My Computer My Way has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, and the AT Hive can help you find assistive technologies that work for you.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement.

Feedback and contact information

• If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact webmaster@pendle.gov.uk or 01282 661661

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

• webmaster@pendle.gov.uk
• call 01282 661661

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 10 working days.

Read tips on contacting organisation about inaccessible websites.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

We have a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment. Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before a visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. 

We have an induction loop at our customer services at Number One Market Street, Nelson. We also have a portable unit, which we can take with us into any of our meeting rooms. 

Our Council chamber, where public Council meetings are held, has an audio induction loop. 
If you have any specific communication needs – for example, you need a BSL interpreter – please contact us and we will do all we can to find a solution that meets your needs. 

Find out how to contact us. 

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).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Pendle Borough Council 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, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below. 

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they are accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role, value).

Hyperlinks which are in the menus on the right-hand side of our pages do not have enough colour contrast. This does not meet WCAG 2.2. success criterion 1.4.3.

We have reviewed the issues identified in the last audit and have split those into actions we can solve, and actions that require changes by our supplier. We plan to address these issues by 2026

If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Feedback and contact information’ section of this statement.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. We are currently working on fixing these essential documents or replacing them with accessible html web pages. This work will be completed by 2026

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

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

Video content

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We also have some existing pre-recorded video content that was published before 23 September 2020. This content is also exempt from the regulations. All new video content we produce will have appropriate captions, audio descriptions and transcripts as necessary.

Online Maps

Our service includes the use of online maps to show geographical information.
These are not used for navigational purposes and are exempt under the regulations. If you require the information presented in an online map in a different format, please contact us to discuss reasonable adjustments.

Internal systems

This system is described as an “intranet” within the definition of the regulations and the system originally went live prior to September 2019. As such this system does not need to be compliant until such time as it has been substantially revised.

We have chosen to produce this accessibility statement in advance to support our users and our requirements under the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty. 

3rd party content

Our site does include links to 3rd party content and documents, where we think there is useful information for our customers.

This includes sites like www.gov.uk or www.electoralcommission.org.uk

We cannot guarantee that all this content is accessible. We are not responsible for any 3rd party content.

Council Tax, Business Rates and Benefits services

Online Council Tax, Business Rates and Benefits services are on Northgate's Citizen Access product.

Northgate are working towards achieving WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. 

Tourism website

Our Tourism website - VisitPendle - is from by Simpleview. 

It is not currently WCAG 2.1. AA compliant.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared 27 August 2020. It was last reviewed on 28 October 2024

This website is tested by ReachDeck. Tests are carried out every 5 days. The entire website is crawled, using intelligent algorithms to determine when and what to re-check.

We have also engaged the services of The Shaw Trust, who carried out a re-assessment of our website in February 2024.