Introduction

This accessibility statement applies to www.buckhornwestonkingtonmagna-pc.gov.uk. The website is managed by Buckhorn Weston and Kington Magna Parish Council.

All UK government and public sector websites, including the Buckhorn Weston and Kington Magna Parish Council website, must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA.

The WCAG 2.2 AA version builds on previous standards (2.0 and 2.1) by adding new criteria specifically focused on users with low vision, cognitive impairments, and motor disabilities. The previous website accessibility statement addressed WCAG 2.1 AA and this accessibility statement provides an updated statement of compliance in accordance with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria.

Our commitment to accessibility

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. You should be able to:

Change colours, contrast levels and fonts.
Zoom in up to 400% without text spilling off the screen.
Navigate most of the website using a keyboard.
Navigate using speech‑recognition software.
Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (such as JAWS, NVDA or VoiceOver).

We also aim to use plain English, clear headings, and accessible layouts to make our content easy to understand. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Key new success criteria in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 introduces six new success criteria relevant to the AA level (including A-level foundations required for AA):

Focus Not Obscured: Ensures that when a user navigates via keyboard, the focused element (like a link or button) is at least partially visible and not hidden by “sticky” headers, footers, or cookie banners.
Dragging Movements: Any action that requires dragging (e.g., a slider or map) must also be achievable with a simple, single-pointer interaction like a click or tap.
Target Size: Clickable or tappable targets must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels or have enough spacing around them to prevent accidental clicks. This is critical for users with motor impairments or those on mobile devices.
Accessible Authentication: Login processes cannot rely solely on “cognitive function tests” like memorising a password or solving a puzzle. Websites must allow alternatives like copy-pasting, password managers, or email magic links.
Consistent Help: If a help mechanism (like a “Contact Us” link or chat widget) is repeated on multiple pages, it must always appear in the same relative place.
Redundant Entry: Users should not have to re-enter the same information twice in a single session (e.g., shipping and billing addresses). The site must auto-populate or allow users to select previously entered data.

Core foundational requirements

These remain central to the AA standard:

Perceivable: Provide alt-text for images, captions for videos, and maintain a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for standard text.
Operable: Ensure the entire site is navigable via keyboard, avoid content that flashes (to prevent seizures), and provide clear, visible focus indicators.
Understandable: Use clear, consistent navigation and provide helpful, descriptive error messages for form fields.
Robust: Use clean, standard-compliant code so assistive technologies (like screen readers) can reliably interpret the content.

How accessible is this website?

The website has been manually assessed and automatically checked using WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools or compliance to the accessibility criteria. The website meets the success criteria listed in the introduction as applicable to viewing and navigation within commonly available browsers (Chrome, Edge, and Safari). The core website content is also compliant as assessed by the WAVE tools.

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

Older PDF or Word documents may not be fully accessible to screen readers.
Scanned documents (e.g., signed audit notices) cannot be made fully accessible.
Some third‑party content or embedded tools may not fully meet WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA standards.
Some pages may not fully reflow at high zoom levels.
Live video streams (if used) may not include captions.

These issues reflect common limitations identified by other parish councils.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, or if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible Word, PDF or large print please contact the Parish Clerk at:

email: clerk@buckhornwestonkingtonmagna-pc.gov.uk
call: 07787 784009

We will consider your request and endeavour to get back to you within 15 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems

If you find any accessibility issues not listed here, or believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact the Clerk using the details above.

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

Buckhorn Weston and Kington Magna Parish 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

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard. This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 or 2.2 AA standard, due to the non‑compliances listed below.

Some documents published before 23 September 2018 are exempt from the regulations unless essential to providing services.
Scanned documents and live video streams are also exempt.
There are a few instances of redundant title text (file title attribute text is the same as text or alternative text).
The use of PDFs cannot guarantee full accessibility.

Disproportionate burden assessment

Buckhorn Weston and Kington Magna Parish Council is a small public body with limited financial and staffing resources. The website has been created and is managed by councillor volunteers with limited technical knowledge. Accordingly, the website has no assigned annual running budget. We have assessed the cost and time required to make all documents fully accessible and concluded that doing so would impose a disproportionate burden under the accessibility regulations.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Whilst not essential to providing our services, some PDF documents on the Annual Return page are not readable by screen readers. All unreadable PDFs include handwritten content which cannot be reproduced in readable formats but must be published. As these PDFs do not contain essential information, the Parish Council do not plan to change this approach.We recognise that PDFs are not the most accessible format for all users. We have explored alternatives, including HTML pages and Microsoft Office files. However, our current WordPress platform has technical limitations regarding HTML file linking. While Microsoft Word and Excel files are supported, they often require users to own specific third-party software.

Why this is a disproportionate burden

After reviewing our obligations, we consider full remediation to be disproportionate because:

The council has very limited administrative capacity (a single part‑time clerk).
Converting hundreds of older documents into accessible formats would require significant time and specialist skills.
The cost of outsourcing accessibility remediation would be beyond the council’s budget.
Many older documents are rarely accessed, and most essential information is now published in accessible formats.
Some documents (e.g., scanned signatures, statutory audit forms) cannot be made fully accessible without altering their legal status.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

The Parish council will review the website periodically to ensure that it is conforming with the latest guidance. We are committed to improving accessibility going forward:

All new documents published from 23^rd September 2018 will be created in accessible formats where possible.
We will provide accessible versions of any document on request, where feasible.

We will continue to review our processes to reduce accessibility barriers over time.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was initially prepared on the 25^th August 2020 and last reviewed on the 16^th April 2026.

This website was last tested on 16^th April 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by the Buckhorn Weston and Kington Magna Parish Council website administrator. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website administrator. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.