Accessibility statement
This accessibility statement applies to www.birmingham.gov.uk
This website is run by Birmingham City Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to read and understand our content.
We create content to meet the accessibility standards outlined in this statement.
View the site your way
You can change the colours, contrast levels, font styles and magnify the page.
Read about how you can use SignVideo BSL interpreting service for deaf people to contact Birmingham City Council.
Language options – there is a link from the bottom of all pages (footer) giving access to a list of languages available for Google Translation http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/languages.
Navigate by headings
Our headings are all logically ordered. Use browser plugins or assistive technology such as screen readers to list the headings and subheadings in the page and go straight to the heading you need.
Navigate by links
Users of assistive technology such as screen readers can get a list of all the links on a page and understand their purpose from the link text.
Navigate by keyboard
Users navigating by keyboard can see the currently focused-on interactive element, such as links and form fields through a high contrast highlighted outline.
Listening to content
Use text to speech browser plugins or assistive technology to listen to content you select with the mouse or keyboard.
Screen reader users can both listen to the content and navigate around through the site pages and menus.
Using different devices
The website is designed to be used by all new browsers and devices. This offers you a variety of compatible assistive technologies.
Alternative formats
We’ve designed our content to be as accessible as possible by providing maximum personalisation. If you still experience barriers, you can contact us by sending an email to UXContent@birmingham.gov.uk to request alternative format documents.
Auditing
We carry out regular accessibility audits of the website and a full website audit on an annual basis using WCAG 2.1 AA standards which guide our long term audit and improvement plans.
We use Siteimprove (a website quality assurance tool) to scan our website every day and it keeps us updated about any changes in accessibility and quality assurance. We actively check these reports and make changes as necessary.
In addition to this, we carry out ad-hoc testing of pages and the site as a whole using third party testing tools. The majority of this testing is completed with the assistance of Siteimprove.
For more information about our commitment to compliance and how we check and maintain the accessibility of the website, read our technical accessibility statement.
What we do about known issues
We strive to achieve and maintain WCAG 2.1 AA standards, but it is not always possible for all our content to be accessible. Where content is likely to create a barrier, we’ll state a reason, warn users and offer alternatives.
If we have failed to identify a barrier,contact the UX Content team.
Third party content
Links to other websites
We link to other websites that may offer benefit to our users, as well as embedding content provided by some external websites into some of our pages. This may include:
- news websites
- social media platforms
- official information sources, such as GOV.UK or NHS.UK.
We are not responsible for the accessibility of these or any other websites we do not manage; if you experience any accessibility issue with third-party content you should raise it with the provider of that content as we will be unable to fix it ourselves.
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 the UX Content team.
Page last updated: 19 January 2024