Accessibility Statement

Our website accessibility statement, and how to report problems or request information in another format.

This accessibility statement applies to the https://yourvoice.westsussex.gov.uk website.

This website has been built by the team at Bang the Table Pty Ltd on behalf of West Sussex County Council, and is now provided by Granicus (opens in new window).  

We're keen to give everyone a voice, regardless of their ability or technical knowhow. The software providers have incorporated expert advice to make sure that EngagementHQ , the software platform this website is built on, meets or, wherever possible exceeds WCAG 2.1, the current global web accessibility standard.

The website is and its contents are managed by West Sussex County Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use it. For example, this means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300 per cent 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 used plain English and made the website text as simple as possible where we can to make it easier to understand.

For further advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, please visit AbilityNet (opens in new window) . 

How accessible this website is

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

  • some of our documents aren’t yet fully accessible to screen readers
  • our mapping system may not work well on some mobile devices.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille use the contact details provided in the relevant project, or email us with the project details and your information needs at haveyoursay@westsussex.gov.uk. We’ll consider your request and get back to you within ten working days.


Let us know if you have difficulties using this site

Whilst we have spent a lot of time making sure our software is accessible, we are not perfect! If you find anything on the site difficult to use please let us know by emailing support@engagementhq.com .

To help us get to the bottom of your difficulty, it would help us if you provide the information advised in ' Contacting Organisations about Inaccessible Websites ' in your request (especially as outlined in the section 'Describe the Problem' ).

At a minimum, please try to include the following information in your email to us:

  • The URL for the page you are having problems accessing.
  • Details about what you were trying to do, and why it was difficult or impossible to do it.
  • Details about your computer and software. If you don't know, maybe a friend, relative, or colleague can help you. If not, you can skip this part. Include:
    • the operating system you are using, and the version; for example, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux Ubuntu 9.10
    • the browser software you use to view the Web, and the version; for example, Internet Explorer 6 (IE 6), Firefox 3.5, Chrome 3.0.195.38, Opera 10, Safari 4.0.4, etc.
  • If it is related to the problem you are experiencing, also include:
    • any settings you have customized; for example, I set the Font Size to Largest in my browser
    • any assistive technology that you use; for example, screen reader, screen magnification software, voice recognition software for input

All constructive feedback regarding the accessibility or usability of this website is very welcome and will be carefully considered. Thank you.


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 have made a complaint and you’re not happy with our response, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) (opens in new window). 

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

West Sussex County Council is committed to making this 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 (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content 

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

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

  • Some images do not have suitable descriptions. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text content).
  • Use of non-descriptive link text and link styling fails WCAG 1.3.1, 1.3.3, 1.4.1, 1.4.11, 2.4.4
  • Links in our body content do not maintain an underline when a user hovers over them. This fails WCAG 1.4.1 (Use of colour)
  • There is no ‘Skip’ Navigation present which means screen readers have to listen to content without being able to tab through. This fails WCAG 2.4.1 Level A.
  • There are contrast issues with some elements on our project pages. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 (Contrast - minimum)
  • Some projects contain empty or incorrect use of 'Heading coding'. This is a Fail at WCAG 1.3.1 and 2.4.6.
  • Some projects contain ambiguous or duplicate  'form fields' and 'button labelling'. This is a fail at WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 1.3.5, 3.3.2, 4.1.2 
  • Missing Alt Text. This fail WCAG 1.1.1, 1.4.5
  • When loading images from an image gallery in modal, the keyboard focus doesn't pass. This fails 2.4.7 (Focus visible).
  • There is no text on Previous/Next pagination buttons on some results and guide pages to make users aware of new content. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 (Link purpose – in context).
  • Contains mouse dependent areas. This fails WCAG 2.1.1, 1.3.1, 1.3.5
  • There are some untitled frames. This fails WCAG 1.3.1, 2.4.1
  • Some video and audio content is missing text alternatives. This fails WCAG 1.1.,1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3
  • Some projects may use non-descriptive text links which fail WCAG 1.1.1, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3
  • Reflow and responsive design are not fully compliant with WCAG 1.4. 4, 1.4.10, 1.4.11
  • Widgets we use to embed Twitter/Facebook feeds and Google Maps don't always load with their iframe title attribute. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 (Iframe is missing a title).
  • STAS-F08: Mouse Dependant Areas: Some sections are easily accessible for a mouse user but this is not the case for a keyboard only users.


  • In content implemented using markup languages, elements may not analyse a string or text into logical syntactic components correctly. This fails WCAG 4.1.1 (Parsing). It includes:
    • active link phone numbers which include a space
    • text within the tags on iframes used to embed Google Maps
    • use of duplicate IDs can cause problems for assistive technologies (and also fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role Value)
    • obscured text which fails WCAG 1.4.4


  • Maps: Maps can present challenges for accessibility.  We are not required to make online maps accessible and although we aim to incorporate best practice and provide essential information in text format: 
    • there are data tables and areas with incorrect HTML coding markup, and use of deprecated markup such as <b> tags and use of HTML to format content – WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
    • some map areas and features are mouse-dependent rather than keyboard-enabled – WCAG 2.1.1 (Keyboard)
    • some maps use images (for example, for tiles and markers), for which we are unable to set an alt attribute (including to mark as decorative) – 1.1.1 (Non-text content)
    • on some maps an anchor link exists but does not refer to a location the page – WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
    • some links on maps have no link text – WCAG 2.4.4 (Link purpose – in context)
    • document language is missing or incorrect – WCAG 3.1.1 (Language of page)
    • some form controls are missing text and/or input fields have no description – WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
    • some headings are missing text – WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
    • aria groups roles are used but are missing a name – WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
    • some forms are missing a submit button – WCAG 3.2.2 (On input)
    • some elements have colour contrast issues - WCAG 1.4.3 (Contrast – minimum)


  • PDFs and non-HTML documents
    • Some of our PDFs and MS Office documents don’t meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 (Name, role, value).
    • Some of our resource documents, such as posters, are designed to be downloaded and printed, so these may not be fully accessible.
    • Some documents that are essential to providing our services, such as forms published as Word documents, may not yet be accessible.
    • Some of the documents we link to are owned by third parties and may not be accessible.
    • Some of our videos may be missing captions or links to transcriptions of the video. 
    • Some pages may have used low colour contrast in text or graphical information

Accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents that we own and published before 23 September 2018 unless they’re essential to providing our services. If you need information in another format, please email us haveyoursay@westsussex.gov.uk


Disproportionate burden

Resolving some accessibility issues may place a disproportionate burden upon our resources. However we will work with services to address these issues where we are able to do so.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

We are not required to:

  • make documents published before 23 September 2018 accessible, unless users need them to access a service
  • add captions to videos published before 23 September 2020
  • make reproductions of heritage documents accessible
  • make online maps accessible
  • add transcripts to audio files published before 23 September 2020. 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We're working to resolve all identified accessibility issues which are within our control. Our services are also working with suppliers to resolve any identified accessibility issues where we do not have direct control over their product. 

Survey web browser compatibility

Accessibility can be impacted by browser compatibility. Please use one of the browsers below when accessing this website to ensure it looks and works as it should. These are:

  • Microsoft Edge version 86 and above
  • Chrome version 86 and above
  • Firefox version 78 and above
  • Safari version 14 and above