Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s website scores Top 3 in accessibility rankings

Sitemorse, a leading provider of automated website testing, carried out the testing. 

This outstanding achievement reflects the council’s commitment to making its website as accessible and user-friendly as possible for everyone who visits it.

Cllr Max Holloway, Executive Member for Community and Leisure, said:

“We are delighted to receive this recognition from Sitemorse, and we’ll continue to maintain and improve our website’s accessibility standards. We believe that everyone should be able to access our website and benefit from our online services.

Our website team has been working incredibly hard to make the website accessible for all users, especially those with disabilities including visual impairments.”

Sitemorse measures accessibility against strict Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which stipulate that all browser-based technologies are required to be accessible for everyone, including users with visual impairments.

Some of the improvements that WHBC has implemented to make its digital services more accessible include:

• Making sure the site is easier for those using a screen reader
• Adding labels and alternative text to tables and images so those with visual impairments can understand data and graphics easily
• Structuring pages and headings to make them easier to understand and navigate
• Moving more services into accessible online forms
• Placing accessibility at the forefront of procurement for online services to make sure we are using the most user friendly technology

The council is committed to continually to work to improve its online services for all residents.