Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement for portsmouthlocaloffer.org

This website is run by Portsmouth City 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 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 and aim to adhere to the national average reading age of 9. 

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 the website are not fully accessible: 

• Some images don’t have descriptions, which makes them hard to understand for people using screen readers.
• Some documents can’t be read properly by screen readers and need fixing.
• Some links don’t clearly explain where they go.
• Some of the wording is too complex and needs simplifying.
• The footer labels are unclear and may confuse screen reader users.
• The Google Translate button is too small to tap easily on a touchscreen.
• Some pages skip heading levels, which can make the content harder to follow.
• Some parts of the website are missing labels that help assistive technologies describe what things do.
• Some pages don’t include navigation landmarks to help users move around more easily.
• There are headings with no content underneath, which can be confusing.
• Some buttons don’t have enough contrast between the text and background, making them hard to read.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the Digital Customer team at Portsmouth City Council. 

• Email: localoffer@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

If you need information on this website in a different format, please contact localoffer@portsmouthcc.gov.uk, indicating:   

• Content title and the website address (URL) if relevant. 
• Your name and email address. 
• The format you need – for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio CD 

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

Portsmouth City 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

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliance(s) and/or the exemptions listed below.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

1. Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
2. Some documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software and will need to be remediated. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
3. Some link text is not descriptive enough to convey purpose. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 (link purpose in context).
4. Some text is considered difficult to understand and requires rewriting in Plain English. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.5 (reading level).
5. The labels in the footer are not clear or correct, which can confuse screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
6. The Google Translate button is too small to tap easily on a touchscreen, which can make it hard for people using mobile devices. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.8 (target size).
7. Some pages skip heading levels, which can make it harder for screen reader users to understand the structure of the content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
8. Some parts of the website are missing ARIA labels, which means assistive technologies may not be able to describe what those elements do. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role, value).
9. Some pages don’t include landmarks, which help screen reader users quickly move between sections of the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
10. There are headings with no content underneath, which can be confusing for users and screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.6 (headings and labels).
11. Some select buttons don’t have enough contrast between the text and background, which makes them hard to read for people with low vision. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (contrast minimum).

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 19 January 2022. It was last reviewed on 13 August 2025.

This website was last tested on 10 February 2025. This test was carried out by Portsmouth City Council’s in-house development team with in-depth knowledge of the accessibility standards and completed using assistive tools such as the WAVE Evaluation Tool and axeTools.

We tested a sample of pages, including the website’s most popular pages (informed by Google Analytics).