Accessibility statement for PCN portal

This statement applies to content published on the www.brighton-hove.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.brighton-hove.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk).

This website is run by Brighton & Hove City Council. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. :

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% 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:

  • Within the 'Key Events' page, there is a table which can't be focused via tabbing, or strict keyboard use.
  • The visual presentation of text and images of text do not have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1–some of our ‘buttons’ such as the Pay PCN button and the warning message ‘No mapping data available’ do not pass the contrast success criteria.
  • A blank column header in a table may cause a problem when using a screen reader.
  • There is a ‘SelectedPCNReference’ hidden ID on our Key Events and View Map Location pages that is duplicated, which may cause screen readers to skip some labels, tables etc
  • There are some personal data fields on the ‘Making a Representation’ screen that do not read out the name of the field whilst using a screen reader (NVDA).
  • There is no error message displayed following the non-upload of file attachments when making a Representation, there is just a coloured border around the Additional Information button.
  • The social media buttons on the bottom right, and the 'Online services', 'Contact us' and 'News & events' buttons are very difficult to see highlighted. All buttons that are primary green are also hard to see when highlighted as the blue matches too closely with the green. Those that rely on keyboard use would have a difficult time seeing what is focused on.
  • Within the 'Images' page on the PayPCN screen, there are two listboxes that do not have an accessible name:videoListView and listView.
  • Website requires a 'skip link' for users that rely on keyboard to skip content such as headers and navigation links.
  • Images and videos are uploaded onto the portal, as part of evidence of a contravention. However, a user that relies on text-to-speech programs will not be able to watch the video. As well - a user that cannot hear audio (if any are present) will have difficulty.

Feedback and contact information

How to request content in an accessible format

If you need information in a different format contact us 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 days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email us [add link to contact details page] for directions.

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:

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 D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Click here to contact us.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Brighton and Hove City 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 2.1 standard, due 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

  • 1.1.1 Non-Text Content There are some personal data fields on the ‘Making a Representation’ screen that do not read out the name of the field whilst using a screen reader (NVDA).
  • 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Pre-recorded)
  • 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded)
  • 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Pre-recorded) Images and videos are uploaded onto the portal, as part of evidence of a contravention. However, a user that relies on text-to-speech programs will not be able to watch the video. As well - a user that cannot hear audio (if any are present) will have difficulty. All videos, images, and audio must be made more accessible via text alternatives.
  • 1.4.3 Contrast Buttons, such as the 'Pay PCN' buttons, and the red warning text 'No mapping data available.' do not pass the contrast success criteria.
  • 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks Website requires a 'skip link' for users that rely on keyboard to skip content such as headers and navigation links.
  • 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) The final column that is to the right of 'Street' in the Pay PCN and Main Display Pages is blank. This is problematic as a user that relies on screen reader technology will not know what that column represents.
  • 2.4.7 Focus Visible the social media buttons in the website footer and the ‘Online Services’, ‘Contact Us’ and ‘News & Events’ buttons are not being highlighted to indicate their focus when navigating using only the keyboard. Within the 'Key Events' page, there is a table which can't be focused via tabbing, or strict keyboard use.
  • 3.3.1 Error Identification There is no error message displayed following the non-upload of file attachments when making a Representation, there is just a coloured border around the Additional Information button.
  • 4.1.1 Parsing Within the 'Key Events' and 'View Map Location' pages there is a hidden ID titled 'SelectedPCNReference' that is duplicated. This can potentially break accessibility, as screen readers may skip labels, tables etc due to duplicate IDs.
  • 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value Within the 'Images' page on the PayPCN screen, there are two violations. Two listboxes do not have an accessible name: videoListView and listView.

We plan to rectify all identified issues by 31st March 2021. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure wecontinue to meet accessibility standards.

Disproportionate burden

Navigation and accessing information

It’s not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content

It’s not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping.

Interactive tools and transactions

Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag.

We intend to have rectified this issue with our forms by March 31st 2021.

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.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We have identified the areas of accessibility that need to be addressed in order to meet the accessibility guidelines and we will endeavour to rectify all issues by 31st March 2021.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 04/04/2023. It was last reviewed on 05/12/2024.

This website was last tested on 05/12/2024.

We completed a full test of every page using a web browser extension in Google Chrome called ‘Accessibility Insights for Web’. We then manually check each page against the WCAG 2.1 guidelines incorporating the NVDA screen reader software.