Website Accessibility Statement
This accessibility statement applies to Cirencester Town Council's website: www.cirencester.gov.uk. This website is run by Cirencester Town 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 recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver
We also provide the UserWay accessibility widget as an additional accessibility aid. The widget does not replace the need for the website itself to meet accessibility standards or to work with users' own assistive technologies. We have 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: AbilityNet - My Computer My Way.
Based on the most recent accessibility assessment carried out in July 2026, we know that some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
· some PDF and Word documents, including some agendas and minutes, may not have the document structure needed for reliable screen-reader navigation
· some form groups on desktop may not be correctly associated with a group label
· some pages contain duplicate element ID values, which are being reviewed to determine whether they affect labels, relationships or assistive-technology behaviour
· on mobile, an interactive element has been identified that can receive focus while being hidden from assistive technologies
· some image alternative text has been flagged for review so that descriptions remain concise and useful
· live public-meeting video streams do not have captions while they are live
How accessible this website is
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed in this statement, or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, or you need information from in a different format, such as an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, braille or another language, please contact us:
Email: info@cirencester.gov.uk
Telephone: 01285 655646
In person: Local Information Centre, ground floor, Bingham House, 1 Dyer Street, Cirencester, GL7 2PP
We may not be able to meet your requirements immediately, but we will consider your request and aim to respond within 5 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find an accessibility problem that is not listed in this statement, or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us using the details above.
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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Enforcement procedure
Technical information about this website's accessibility
Cirencester Town Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Compliance status
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
PDFs and other documents
Some PDFs and Word documents published on or after 23 September 2018 may not have sufficient document structure, such as correctly tagged headings. This can make them difficult to navigate with a screen reader and may fail WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
We are reviewing the website's PDF estate in October 2026 and prioritising documents that are essential to services. Our current target is to ensure in-scope PDFs and Word documents published on or after 23 September 2018 are accessible by April 2027.
Form grouping
The July 2026 assessment identified four desktop occurrences where a <fieldset> does not have a <legend> as its first child. This can make the relationship between form controls and their group label unclear to screen-reader users and may fail WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
We aim to review and resolve these form-grouping issues by April 2027.
Mobile focus and assistive-technology visibility
The July 2026 assessment identified a focusable element within content marked aria-hidden="true" on mobile. This can allow keyboard focus to move to content that is not exposed to screen readers and may fail WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
We aim to review and resolve this issue by April 2027.
Other audit findings being reviewed
The July 2026 assessment also reported duplicate element ID values on desktop and some long alternative text on mobile. Duplicate IDs are not, by themselves, a WCAG 2.2 failure; we are reviewing whether they affect labels, relationships, names or assistive-technology behaviour. We are also reviewing the flagged alternative text so that image descriptions remain concise, purposeful and useful.
We aim to complete these reviews and any necessary remediation by April 2027.
Non-accessible content
We have not currently made any claims of disproportionate burden for the accessibility issues listed in this statement.
Disproportionate burden
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents published before 23 September 2018
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services. We will provide information in an alternative format where reasonably possible if requested.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live audio and video are exempt from the accessibility regulations. Where a recording of a meeting or event remains available after the live stream, we will review the recording as pre-recorded media and provide captions or another accessible alternative where required.
Online maps
Online maps and mapping services may be exempt from the accessibility regulations. Where maps are used for navigation, we aim to provide essential location information, such as an address, in an accessible text format.
What we are doing to improve accessibility
We are continuing to improve the accessibility of the website and its documents. Our current priorities are to:
· review the website's PDF estate in October 2026, prioritising documents that are essential to services and documents published on or after 23 September 2018
· ensure PDFs and Word documents published on or after 23 September 2018 that are within scope are accessible by April 2027
· review and remediate the form-grouping and mobile aria-hidden/focus issues identified in the July 2026 assessment by April 2027
· review duplicate ID findings and correct them where they have an accessibility impact by April 2027
· review alternative text flagged by the assessment and make any necessary changes by April 2027
· continue checking new and substantially updated website content and documents against WCAG 2.2 AA
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was first prepared in August 2020. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026.
The website was last assessed in July 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The assessment was carried out by Cirencester Town Council using UserWay automated accessibility testing.
Automated testing can identify many accessibility issues, but it cannot test every WCAG 2.2 AA success criterion. The July 2026 UserWay assessment should therefore not be treated as a complete manual WCAG audit. The Council will supplement automated testing with manual checks as part of future accessibility reviews.
In September 2026, this statement was also reviewed against the live website and current GOV.UK guidance for public-sector accessibility statements. This content review did not replace the July 2026 technical assessment.
The full July 2026 accessibility assessment can be requested from the Council using the contact details above.
This statement will be reviewed at least once a year and following substantial changes to the website. The next scheduled review is September 2027, or earlier if a new accessibility assessment or significant website change takes place.