Accessibility Statement
This accessibility statement applies to https://chiltondurham-tc.gov.uk/. Chilton Town Council is committed to making its website as accessible as possible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Current accessibility summary
Based on the current review results, the website is in a much stronger position than before. The latest audit shows no high-severity or medium-severity issues in the current content scan, and the remaining issues are low-priority content items relating mainly to pages with little or no readable content.
Current position: The website is currently assessed as partially compliant and close to accessible, with no remaining high or medium issues in the latest content audit and no missing ALT text currently detected.
What users should be able to do
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. This includes being able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts where their device or browser allows
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
- understand content written in a clear and straightforward way wherever possible
The council is working towards compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA and uses accessibility support tools to help improve usability for some visitors.
Contents
- Compliance status
- Accessibility tools and website support
- Known accessibility limitations
- Non-accessible content
- What we are doing to improve accessibility
- Alternative formats and support
- Feedback and contact information
- Enforcement procedure
- Technical information about this website’s accessibility
- Preparation of this accessibility statement
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.
“Partially compliant” means that some parts of the website do not yet fully meet the accessibility standard. However, based on the current audit results, the remaining issues are low-priority items and the website has no currently identified high-severity or medium-severity issues in the latest scan.
The latest audit recorded 23 low-severity findings across 83 pages, with 0 missing ALT text issues and 0 auto-fixable findings currently outstanding.
Accessibility tools and website support
Chilton Town Council uses an accessibility plugin to help make the site easier to read and navigate. Depending on the version and settings in use, this may provide support tools such as:
- text resizing or readability adjustments
- improved focus visibility
- navigation assistance
- contrast and reading support
- general browsing adjustments for some users
We recognise that accessibility tools can be helpful for some visitors, but they do not by themselves make a website fully accessible or legally compliant. Accessibility also depends on content, structure, code, documents, templates and third-party systems used across the website.
For that reason, the council treats the plugin as a support tool rather than as a complete accessibility solution.
Known accessibility limitations
We know that some parts of this website still need improvement. Based on the current review, the remaining issues mainly relate to older or lightly populated pages where there is little or no readable content.
Areas that may still require review or improvement include:
- older pages with very limited text content
- older downloads and PDFs that may not yet be fully accessible
- some older forms, templates or third-party tools that may require further accessibility testing
- historic content created before the current accessibility review process was introduced
We are reviewing these areas and making improvements over time, prioritising content and services that are most important to residents and visitors.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
1. Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The current audit results do not identify any remaining high-severity or medium-severity content issues. The remaining items are low-severity issues relating mainly to pages with little or no readable content. These pages may be older notices, placeholders, archive items, or pages that rely mainly on linked documents rather than accessible HTML content.
Current remaining issue type: Pages with little or no readable content may not provide enough accessible HTML information for users who rely on screen readers, reflow, text resizing, or clear page structure.
2. Disproportionate burden
Chilton Town Council has not currently identified any content as a formal disproportionate burden exemption. If this changes, this statement will be updated and the relevant reasons will be explained.
3. Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
- Some older PDF and Office documents published before 23 September 2018 may be exempt if they are not needed for providing a service actively used by the public.
- Live video streams are exempt from the accessibility regulations.
- Some third-party content not funded, developed or controlled by the council may be outside the scope of the regulations, although we will seek accessible alternatives where possible.
Pages currently identified in the latest audit
The latest audit flagged the following pages for having little or no readable content. These are currently low-severity findings.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
Chilton Town Council is working to make the website easier to read, understand and navigate for all users. We are reviewing the site in stages and making improvements where issues are identified.
Based on the current results, the next phase of work is focused mainly on older low-content pages, document replacement and continued template review.
- reviewing pages flagged as having little or no readable content
- adding or improving accessible HTML content where older pages rely mainly on sparse text or linked files
- continuing to check downloadable documents and replacing inaccessible files with accessible HTML where practical
- reviewing consistency across templates and commonly used page layouts
- continuing to use accessibility support tools while broader site improvements continue
- reviewing older archive content and prioritising material still actively used by the public
The current audit shows that major issues previously identified, such as missing ALT text, have now been addressed in the latest content review.
Alternative formats and support
If you need information on this website in a different format, please contact us. For example, you can ask for content in:
- an accessible PDF
- large print
- plain text
- an alternative accessible document format
We will consider your request and aim to provide the information in a format that is accessible to you, where reasonably possible.
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed on this page, think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, or need information in a different format, please contact Chilton Town Council.
Address
Hutton House
Durham Road
Chilton
County Durham
DL17 0HE
Phone
When contacting us, please include as much detail as possible, including:
- the web page or document you were trying to access
- the problem you experienced
- the device and browser you were using
- any assistive technology you were using
- your contact details
- the format you need the information in, if you require an alternative version
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
We encourage anyone who experiences difficulty using our website to contact us first so that we can try to provide the information, service or support they need.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Chilton 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.
To meet this duty, the website should conform to WCAG 2.2 AA.
The council recognises that accessibility is an ongoing process. The use of an accessibility plugin supports some visitors, but full compliance depends on continual improvements to content, documents, templates, user journeys and technical implementation across the site.
We will continue to review the website, prioritise important issues and update this statement when significant improvements are made or where new accessibility issues are identified.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 21 March 2026.
It was last reviewed on 21 March 2026.
This statement was prepared using a desk-based review of representative live pages and documents, together with reference to current UK public sector accessibility statement guidance.
It has also been updated to reflect the current latest audit result showing:
- 97% accessibility score
- 23 remaining low-severity findings
- 0 high-severity findings
- 0 medium-severity findings
- 0 missing ALT text findings
A full technical audit, including keyboard-only testing, screen-reader testing, colour contrast measurement, PDF tagging review, zoom and reflow checks, and testing of all templates and third-party components, has not yet been completed.
This statement will be reviewed periodically and updated to reflect accessibility improvements, newly identified issues, changes to website functionality, or changes in relevant guidance.
