All webpages and PDFs are produced in the United Kingdom and written in only English. The default human language is identified as en-GB. Further information can be found in the accessibility statement shown in the footer of each page: www.basildon.gov.uk/accessibility
Website Accessibility
The following accessibility statement outlines the current position with regard to our commitment to provide a website that is accessible to as many users as possible.
What to do if you cannot access parts of this website
Please contact us if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
Basildon Borough Council The Basildon Centre St. Martin's Square Basildon Essex SS14 1DL
We'll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.
The content on the website is managed by the Communication Team, and the Head of Communications is Liz Aelberry: Liz.Aelberry@basildon.gov.uk and 07377 202645.
Accessibility statement for www.basildon.gov.uk
This website is run by Basildon Borough 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 300% 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.
Accessibility tools and advice
Browsealoud - digital inclusion software
This website includes free access to Browsealoud digital inclusion software which offers a host of website reading and translation support - helping visitors to access and understand our website better. Browsealoud includes the following features:
text-to-speech: click on or select any text to hear it read aloud
translation: written and spoken translations in multiple languages
text magnification: enlarges text and reads it out loud
mp3 generation: converts selected text into an MP3 audio file
screen mask: blocks distractions on screen with a tinted mask
web page simplifier: removes clutter from the screen, displaying only the main text
settings: customise options to suit individual needs or preferences
Try Browsealoud out - it's free!
Click the Browsealoud icon at the top right of each page to launch the BrowseAloud toolbar. When you see the BrowseAloud toolbar you can explore the various toolbar options and settings or simply click on any text to hear it read out loud.
AbilityNet - advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability:
We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:
We have no keyboard activated 'skip to main content' feature on this website
We have no option to skip repeated text
Our search box does not display an alt text description or a separate 'search' button (we recommend site visitors simply enter the search term and then press 'Return')
We have no top level heading on our homepage
The language definition has not been declared
On some web pages or online forms the keyboard tab order may be incorrect
On some pages or online forms the keyboard tab focus may not work in some tab positions
Some of the images on our site do not display appropriate alt text
The colour contrast on our cookie notice is not sufficiently defined. This affects any page when the site is first viewed
many Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word documents and spreadsheets are not fully accessible to screen reader software
live video streams do not have captions
We plan to create a register of documents which are essential for service delivery and then work to convert these to HTML pages and forms. We aim to have made significant progress by 23 September 2022. When we publish new information we will ensure that meets accessibility standards.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We're 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, please contact us:
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Issues with Navigation and accessing information
On some web pages or online forms the keyboard tab order may be incorrect
On some pages or online forms the keyboard tab focus may not work in some tab positions
We have no keyboard activated 'skip to main content' feature on this website
We have no option to skip repeated text
Our search box does not display an alt text description or a separate 'search' button (we recommend site visitors simply enter the search term and then press 'Return')
We are working to resolve the issue WCAG 4.1.2 with our website provider and aim to have this completed by June 2022.
Issues with Acrobat PDFs and Microsoft documents and spreadsheets
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don't meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be marked up so they are accessible to a screen reader.
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have reports and guidance documents published as PDFs and application forms available only as Word or Adobe Acrobat documents.
We plan to create a register of documents which are essential for service delivery and then work to convert these to HTML pages and forms. We aim to have made significant progress by 23 September 2022.
We aim, to ensure that any new PDFs or Word documents we publish from 23 September 2019 onwards will meet the accessibility standards
Issues with images, video and audio
We have a small number of embedded videos on our site. These do not have captions.
Some of the images on our site do not display appropriate alt text.
We plan to add text alternatives for all images by December 2022. When we publish new content we'll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
On some online forms the keyboard tab order may be incorrect
On some online forms the keyboard tab focus may not work in some tab positions
Non compliance with the accessibility regulations
Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
We plan to add text alternatives for all images by December 2022. When we publish new content we'll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
We are currently undertaking an audit of all PDFS on the website as we are aware they do not meet criteria WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page.
We have a website working group to review the future of the website and as part of the piece of work, which will be completed next year, we will look to review how PDFs are published and managed on the new website.
The web pages and PDFs are produced in the United Kingdom and written in only English. The default human language is identified as en-GB.
How we tested this website
This website is continuously monitored by Silktide automated testing for accessibility, quality, and digital marketing.
Silktide checks across the whole of our site on a regular basis and reports on:
Pages that conform to WCAG A, AA or AAA standards
Issues with CSS validation
Issues with HTML validation
PDF accessibility including problems with tagging, language definition, headings and labels
Plus; numerous CRM online application and reporting forms and the main website's 'Where I live...' feature.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
We are preparing an accessibility roadmap which will show how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website.
This statement was prepared on the 23 September 2019. It was last reviewed on the 22 April 2022.
The website was last tested on 5 January 2022 by the Cabinet Office, this was not a full accessibility test. We are planning a full accessibility audit to commence in June 2022.
