Accessibility

This accessibility statement applies to visitrochdale.com.

This website is run by Rochdale Borough Council. It does not cover other Rochdale Borough Council subdomains or websites. Each website has its own accessibility statement published. 

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• Use descriptive links on our website so they can be read out of context and users know where they will go next.
• Resize text up to 200% on desktop and 200% on mobile without the content spilling off the screen.
• Skip to main content when using a keyboard.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability (external link).

How accessible this website is

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

• The headings are not structured correctly as heading 2 is used prior to heading 1. 
• Some aspects of the site are not optimised for mobile devices. 

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

• Email council@rochdale.gov.uk
• Phone 01706 647474
• Write to: Rochdale Borough Council, Customer Services, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU. 

When contacting us please tell us:

1. The web address (URL) of the content.
2. Your name and email address.
3. The format you need, for example, audio CD, braille or large print.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please

• Email web.team@rochdale.gov.uk
• Phone 01706 924836
• Write to: Rochdale Borough Council, Digital Services Team, Floor 3, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU

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 deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

If you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Call or email us to contact us. 

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Rochdale Borough 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 and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Success criteria 1.1.1 Non-text Content

Our web pages contain a large amount of non-text elements, such as images. Some images don’t have alternate text assigned. This means a screen reader can’t describe the image to the user. This doesn't meet the WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-Text Content).

We plan to fix all the issues that we’re able to by 4 October 2024 and plan to work with our supplier on other issues by 31 March 2025. 

Success criteria 1.1.1 Non-text Content and 2.4.4 Link purpose (In Context)

Some images on our website that are part of the website templates have duplicate alternate text to elements inside or beside them. This doesn't meet the WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-Text Content) or 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)).

Our supplier has confirmed this problem is due to their software and at the moment it cannot be fixed. We'll aim to stay in touch with our supplier to see if there are any solutions or aim to fix these problems when we replace our software.

Success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships

Tables throughout the website have summaries contained in header cells. In addition, lists have been used to display groups of links.  These issues may cause confusion for users with screen readers as the information and page layout won’t be correctly described by the software.

These issues don’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).

We plan to work with our supplier to see if they can fix this issue by March 2025.

Success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks

Some pages on this website have more than one main ARIA landmark in their code. This can cause confusion for users with screen readers, as it can seem unclear which of these areas is actually the main area of the page when the content is read out to them. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships or 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks.

We plan to work with our supplier to see if they can fix this issue by March 2025.

Success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and 2.4.10 Section Headings

Each page on this website has an incorrect headings structure that can prevent screen readers from being able to follow the on-page content correctly. In addition, there are cases of multiple buttons called 'More details' that lead to different locations, which makes navigation more difficult for users with assistive technologies. The Google Recaptcha that is used to block automated spam is also not accessible. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and success criterion 2.4.10 Section Headings.

Our supplier has confirmed these problems are due to their software and at the moment they cannot be fixed. We'll aim to stay in touch with our supplier to see if there are any solutions or aim to fix these problems when we replace our software.

Success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 1.4.4 Resize Text and 1.4.5 Images of Text

Some text on the website has been formatted using HTML tags that are no longer in common use. This text should be formatted using CSS, which would allow the user to better control the presentation of text to help with accessibility. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 1.4.4 Resize Text or 1.4.5 Images of Text.

We plan to work with our supplier to see if they can fix this issue by March 2025.

Success criterion 1.4.11 Use of Colour

Link text within the main body text throughout this website relies on colour alone to indicate it’s a link. This means users with colour-blindness may not be able to identify links. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.11 Use of Colour.

We plan to work with our supplier to see if they can fix this issue by March 2025.

Success criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast

There is a weak colour contrast between the site search and its background. Some users may struggle to locate the search bar as a result. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.

Our supplier has confirmed this problem is due to their software and at the moment it cannot be fixed. We'll aim to stay in touch with our supplier to see if there are any solutions or aim to fix these problems when we replace our software.

Success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)

The software displays image grids with links across various pages on this website with no meaningful link text. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose In Context).

We plan to work with our supplier to see if they can fix this issue by March 2025.

Success criterion 2.4.6 Heading and 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions

The pages for individual locations and events on our site feature some code that may be misinterpreted by screen readers as user input fields. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.6 Heading and success criterion Labels and 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions.

Our supplier has confirmed these problems are due to their software and at the moment they cannot be fixed. We'll aim to stay in touch with our supplier to see if there are any solutions or aim to fix these problems when we replace our software.

Success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

Elements of code throughout each page on this site have been incorrectly coded. This may prevent some screen readers from correctly interpreting elements such as images and break points. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Our supplier has confirmed this problem is due to their software and at the moment it cannot be fixed. We'll aim to stay in touch with our supplier to see if there are any solutions or aim to fix these problems when we replace our software.

Disproportionate burden

We've assessed the cost of fixing the following issues. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.  

• There are no issues that are currently being listed as being assessed as a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We'll list them in this section should there be any.  

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

The following types of content do not need to be fixed on the website because they are exempt from the accessibility regulations.

• PDFs and other documents - some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services.
  
  The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards, or we will aim to provide an accessible alternative.

• Live and audio video - we do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.  
• Maps - we have added essential information in an accessible format like an address. 
• Pre-recorded audio and video - we are not required to fix pre-recorded audio and video content published before 23 September 2020.

• Third party content - content on social media sites that is under someone else's control.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

Our accessibility roadmap shows how we plan to improve accessibility on this website.

Our roadmap includes:

• Plain English - the language used on the site will where possible, be concise, easy to understand and free from jargon, abbreviations and technical terms.
• Subscribing to an auto-testing tool called Sitemorse to regularly identify accessibility issues and then fixing these.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on Friday, 18 September 2020. It was last reviewed on Monday, 23 September 2024.

This website was last tested on Tuesday, 10 September 2024. The test was carried out by Sitemorse on each page on the website.