Walsall Link Logo

Accessibility statement for Link Walsall 

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the Link.Walsall domain. 

This website is run by Walsall Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to: 

  • zoom in up to 400% 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’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. 

How accessible this website is 

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:  

  • keyboard issues for users who rely on a keyboard including people who are blind and people with physical disabilities 
  • buttons and interactive elements lack sufficient contrast against backgrounds
  • low colour contrast against the background will cause issues for the visually impaired 
  • colour is used solely to visual displaying content
  • focus does not always remain on the activated item
  • some custom controls do not have their roles, names, or states properly defined
  • keyboard focus may be hidden or not be clearly visible
  • images without alternative text will not be read by a screen reader 
  • updates to content are not announced to screen reader users
  • slider images lack essential functions for user control
  • additional information is not programmatically associated with the form field
  • links incorrectly labelled and styled will cause issues for all users, but especially the visually impaired  
  • some buttons and links are too small to select
  • missing ‘Skip to content’ making it more difficult for users to navigate the site
  • page titles not reflecting content

Feedback and contact information 

Tell us if you need information on this website in a different format. In your message include: 

  • the web address (URL) of the content 

  • your name and email address 

  • the format you need (for example, BSL, large print, accessible PDF, audio recording, easy read or braille)  

We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible. 

Reporting accessibility problems with this website 

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. We encourage you to tell us what you think.  

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, let us know via: 

  • email: WebProject@walsall.gov.uk 

  • phone: +44 1922 650000 

  • address: Walsall Council, The Civic Centre, Walsall, WS1 1TP  

We will respond to feedback within five working days. 

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 

Walsall 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-compliances, listed below. 

Non-accessible content 

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons. 

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations 

  1. Some images are missing alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 Non text content. We plan to amend this by December 2025
  2. Some heading levels have been skipped or marked up incorrectly, which may impact users who are blind or have low vision. Additionally, tables have not been marked up properly, and form fields are not associated with visual labels. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We plan to address this by December 2025
  3. Some form field inputs do not have an auto-complete feature. This makes it harder for users to fill out the field, especially for users with cognitive impairments. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose. We plan to amend this by December 2025
  4. Some links use colour as the only visual means of conveying information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of colour) We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  5. Some parts of the website do not have sufficient contrast between the text and background colours. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum). We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  6. Some images contain text within them. These cannot be read by screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.5 Images of Text. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  7. Some content does not reflow when viewed at high browser magnification, which means people with visual impairments may be unable to access some content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.10 Reflow. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  8. Visual information to identify user interface components, such as keyboard focus, does not always have a sufficient contrast ratio. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.11  Non text contrast.  We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  9. Not all page functionality is available to keyboard only users, This may affect blind users or have low vision. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  10. Some images contained in the slider lack essential functions for user control , This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.2.2 Pause, stop, hide. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  11. There is no “Skip to Content link” present. This may affect users who are blind or have low vision by making it harder to bypass repetitive blocks of content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  12. Some pages do not have a unique page title. The page title should describe the topic of the page, purpose of the page or the subject of the page. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 Page titled. We plan to amend this by December 2025
  13. On some pages focus does not always remain on the activated item. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.3 Focus order We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  14. Some links do not match the intended destination for the user. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context). We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  15. Some page Headings do not describe the topic or purpose of the Heading. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  16. Some elements on the page keyboard focus is unclear. This would affect users with low vision and cognitive impairments. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 Success criterion 2.4.7 Focus visible. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  17. Some of the keyboard focus may be hidden or not be clearly visible. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 Focus not obscured (minimum). We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  18. Some of the targets that can be chosen are too small for the minimum target size requirements.  Some people with physical impairments cannot click small buttons that are close together. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.8 Target size. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  19. Some interactive elements have the same functionality but don't have a similar look and feel. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.2.4 Consistent identification. We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  20. If an input error is automatically detected, suggestions for correction may not be presented to the user in text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.3 Error suggestion We plan to amend this by December 2025.
  21. Some interactive elements do not specify a name, role or value. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role and Value). We plan to amend this by December 2025PDF's and non-HTML documents 

PDF's and non-HTML documents

Some of our PDF’s are not formatted so they’re accessible to a screen reader. Some errors may include, missing: 

  1. Non-text content. All non-text content presented to the user should have a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose. If these are missing, this doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text content. We plan to amend this by December 2025. 
  2. Colour contrast. Some parts of PDF’s do not have sufficient contrast between the text and background colours. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast minimum. We plan to amend this by December 2025. 
  3. Page titles. PDF documents should have titles that describe the topic or purpose of the page. If these are missing this doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.2. Page Titled. We plan to amend this by December 2025. 
  4. Headings and labels. Headings and labels describe the topic or purpose. If these are missing this doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. We plan to amend this by December 2025. 
  5. Name, role, value. For all user interface components, some of which are essential to providing our services (for example, forms published as Word documents). If these are missing this doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, role, value. We plan to amend this by December 2025. 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility 

Following the audit conducted in  December 2024 we are urgently reviewing how we can improve the accessibility of this website. We plan to make progressive fixes to content that fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, with all fixes in place by December 2025.  

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 3rd May 2023. It was last reviewed on 03 January 2025. 

This website was last tested on 01 December 2024. The test was carried out by Walsall Council DaTS Team. 

  • a mixture of simple manual checks and automated tests to find only the most common barriers to users with accessibility needs 

  • manual checks using each page without a mouse, viewing the page at different zoom settings, and simulating viewing the page on a small screen 

The automated tests were completed using the latest version of Axe and WAVE. 

Tests were completed using different settings in the Internet Explorer browser on Lenovo ThinkPad with a 13-inch screen.