Accessibility statement for watford.gov.uk
This statement applies to content published on the www.watford .gov.uk domain.
This website is run by Watford Borough Council. We want as many people to use this website, including those who use assistive technologies to browse the web.
We built our website to meet WCAG 2.2 AA requirements. That means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- 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.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:
- Most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- Some videos may not have captions or audio alternatives
- Content and functionality provided by third party suppliers is not fully accessible
- Maps are not accessible
- The contrast and colour of some text and links could be improved
Feedback and contact information
If you need a document in a different format:
- email webteam@watford.gov.uk
and tell us:
- the web address - also called the URL - of the content
- your name and email address
- the format you need, for example, audio CD, braille, British Sign Language or large print, accessible PDF
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 10 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, contact: webteam@watford.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).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
We are 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 2.1 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
In Firefox, when webpages are zoomed to 200% the council logo disappears. We are working on this issue with our supplier.
In Chrome, when the font size is changed the council logo is clipped away. We are working on this issue with our supplier.
PDF’s and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and other documents don’t meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be structured in a way that makes them accessible to a screen reader. Work has begun on fixing these important documents and we will ensure that we will replace or remediate key documents by 2027.
Online forms and My.Watford customer portal
Our online forms and My.Watford customer portal are are built and hosted through third party software and ‘skinned’ to look like our website. This third party software is not yet fully accessible. Some form fields are missing a label, which can make them difficult to navigate with a keyboard. Also when using the tab key to jump between elements, some links and buttons are not highlighted on focus. We are in contact with the supplier about when issues will be fixed.
Disproportionate burden
Not applicable
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
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.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Maps
Maps are difficult to make accessible, however, we have implemented a system where map locations / areas are also listed as text either below or with the map provided. We will continue to improve this area of accessibility.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
To improve our accessibility. we will:
- Conduct regular accessibility audits (automated and email).
- Prioritise fixes based on user impact.
- Train our staff to better understand the accessibility guidelines and provide better materials on how they can ensure their content is accessible.
- Work with third-party suppliers to ensure new portals have high standards of accessibility, like our website.
- We will review the website annually and after every major update we complete.
- We will continue to work with suppliers to address accessibility issues and provide alternative ways to access services where possible, such as contacting us directly.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was last reviewed on 9 June 2026. This statement will be reviewed annually.
Our website is tested daily for accessibility using our supplier, and we carry out monthly 'Quality Assuranace' checks to ensure we highlight which issues we have with accessibility and ensure we look at fixing these at our earlier opportunity, keeping to WCAG 2.2.
We have Silktide web monitoring software in place to check and monitor the whole sites accessibility. These tests are carried out automatically each week. We refer to the Silktide accessibility index, that compares the accessibility of all UK council websites and regularly checks a sample of our web content..
