This accessibility statement applies to our website northlanarkshire.gov.uk.

This website is run by North Lanarkshire Council. We are committed to making sure that everyone can access information on this website. We are always working towards making changes that mean this website is as easy and convenient to use as possible by people of all abilities.

For example, this 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.

We've 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.

Text to speech, translations and dyslexia software

This website uses digital accessibility software called ReciteMe, which helps people who:

• can't see very well
• find some words difficult or have difficulty reading
• speak a different language

You don't have to download or install anything - just click on the 'Accessibility tools' link at the top of our website.

It includes text-to-speech, reading, styling and language translation tools that can help you browse our website in a way that works for you.

If you're using ReciteMe for the first time, take a look at the user guide which shows you a range of useful features.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

• Most older PDF documents aren't fully accessible to screen reader software. Where this is the case, we have indicated that an accessible version is available on request.
• Some newer PDFs or Word documents (published after 23 September 2018) do not meet accessibility standards as defined by the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. This includes statutory notices. Where this is the case, we have indicated that an accessible version is available on request.
• Live video streams don't have captions
• Some of our online forms may be difficult to navigate using just a keyboard

What to do if you can't access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille email corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk. We'll consider your request and get back to you within ten days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, email corporatecommunications@northlan.gov.uk

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).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

North Lanarkshire 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 version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don't meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they're accessible to a screen reader. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value). However, they may be exempt from the legislation.

The accessibility regulations don't require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services.

Some PDFs or Word documents published after 23 September 2018 do not meet accessibility standards. Where this is the case, we have indicated that an accessible version is available on request. We are working towards making these documents accessible.

Live video

Live video streams don't have captions. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.4 (captions - live).

We don't plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 18 November 2020. It was last reviewed on 23 August 2021.

This website was last tested on 1 October 2021.

How we tested this website

We use Silktide's automated testing platform, in combination with our own manual testing.

Every month, Silktide scans our website and generates accessibility reports. For manual testing, we use Google Analytics to find our most visited pages.

We test:

• our main website platform, available at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk

You can read the accessibility report on the Silktide website.