Accessibility

Accessibility Statement

Our Accessibility Statement 

This accessibility statement applies to somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com 

This website is run by 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
  • 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 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. 

How accessible this website is 

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

  • Some links do not accurately describe their purpose 
  • The PDF that is supplied to a respondent on completing an activity does not follow techniques laid out in WCAG (there are no heading tags and no document title). 
  • When a Citizen Space Geospatial mapping page is zoomed, a mapping question on an activity can obscure some of the content within the map. 
  • When using Geospatial and response publishing, map pins on the published responses page are not keyboard accessible. 
  • After completing an activity, you are offered a link to download your response as a PDF. The link expires in 3 minutes, which may not be enough time for some users. This time limit cannot be extended or turned off. 

Feedback and contact information

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

  • use the Somerset Council contact us page 
  • phone: 0300 123 2224 

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

For people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired, or have a speech impediment, please contact us by text message on 07862 122246 for a text relay service. 

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, you can report it to us using Somerset Council’s contact us page. 

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 

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 

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 listed below. 

Non-accessible content 

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations 

  • 1.3.1: Info and Relationships (A) 
    • The PDF that is supplied to a respondent on completing an activity does not follow techniques laid out in WCAG (there are no heading tags and no document title). 
    • On some pages there are headings without text content 
  • 1.4.4 Resize Text (AA) 
    • When a Citizen Space Geospatial mapping page is zoomed, a mapping question on an activity can obscure some of the content within the map. 
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard Accessible (A) 
    • When using Geospatial and response publishing, map pins on the published responses page are not keyboard accessible. 
  • 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (A) 
    • After completing an activity, you are offered a link to download your response as a PDF. The link expires in 3 minutes, which may not be enough time for some users. This time limit cannot be extended or turned off. 
  • 2.4.4 Link purpose (A) 
    • Some links do not accurately describe their purpose 

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations 

Non-HTML documents published before September 2018 do not need to be accessible – unless users need them to use a service. 

As these types of documents are exempt from the regulations, we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible, but will replace them with accessible documents if newer versions are published. 

If you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format. 

What we are doing to improve accessibility 

To improve the accessibility of our website we are: 

  • working with Delib to improve the accessibility compliance of their Citizen Space platform 
  • testing and monitoring web accessibility manually 
  • where possible, create HTML pages rather than PDF documents 
  • creating online forms rather than PDF documents 

We are continuously working on our website somerset.gov.uk and associated Somerset Council websites, which will improve the overall accessibility and usability. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 2 September 2026 with a current list of non-accessible content. It is being continuously reviewed as we work to create a complete list of non-accessible content. 

Accessibility of Delib software

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. This website is made up of:

  • Software that is designed and controlled by Delib, for example the overall structure and the look and feel of the pages.
  • Content that has been added by Somerset Council, for example most of the information, including words, pictures and documents.

Delib does not control the content added to this site, but does develop and test the software to support:

  • Zooming in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen.
  • Navigating the website using just a keyboard.
  • Navigating the website using speech recognition software.
  • Listening to the website using a screen reader.

Content that has been added that is not fully accessible may be listed on this page as a non-conformity, or details may be given alongside the inaccessible content.

Delib is committed to making the software accessible.

Delib test the software against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.2 AA standard. Improvements to the software are released regularly. Any changes made to the software as a part of that process are tested internally in advance of release for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.2 level AA.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact us.