Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Parish Council Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Parish Council website, hoosaintwerburgh-pc.gov.uk.

Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Parish Council is committed to making its website accessible to as many people as possible, including people with disabilities and those using assistive technologies.

We aim to ensure that users are able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings;
• zoom in without text becoming unreadable or content becoming unusable;
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard;
• navigate the website using speech recognition software; and
• access website content using a screen reader.

We also aim to use clear language, appropriate headings and meaningful links wherever possible.

For advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, please visit the AbilityNet My Computer My Way service.

How accessible this website is

We recognise that some parts of the website may not be fully accessible. In particular, some older documents, third-party functionality and elements provided through our website platform may not fully meet current accessibility standards.

Further information is provided under Non-accessible content below.

Feedback and contact information

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of our website.

If you find an accessibility problem that is not listed in this statement, or believe that we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

Parish Clerk
Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Parish Council
4 Birkhall Close
Chatham
Kent
ME5 7QD

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01634 868855

If you require information published on this website in an alternative format, such as an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio or another accessible format, please contact the Parish Clerk.

We will consider your request and aim to respond within 15 working days.

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.

If you are not satisfied with how we respond to an accessibility complaint, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden 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

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions described below.

Non-accessible content

Some content or functionality on the website may not currently meet all accessibility requirements.

Website platform and third-party functionality

The Parish Council website is provided through the HugoFox website platform. Certain elements of the website are provided and controlled by the website supplier rather than directly by the Parish Council.

These may include elements of navigation, social media links, email alert functionality, embedded content and other third-party features.

Where accessibility issues relate to functionality controlled by our website provider, the Parish Council will raise these with the supplier where appropriate.

PDFs and other documents

The Parish Council publishes agendas, minutes, financial information, policies, reports and other documents, many of which are provided in PDF or Microsoft Word format.

Some older documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software or may not have been created using accessible document structures.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to make PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 accessible where they are not essential to providing our services.

We aim to ensure that new documents created and published by the Parish Council are accessible wherever reasonably possible.

Some statutory or third-party documents are supplied to the Parish Council in a format over which we have no control. Where we are required to publish such documents, the original format may need to be retained.

If you experience difficulty accessing any document on our website, please contact the Parish Clerk and we will provide the information in an alternative accessible format wherever possible.

Planning information and third-party content

The website may contain links to, or information provided by, external organisations including planning authorities and other public bodies.

The Parish Council does not control the accessibility of external websites or third-party systems. Where possible, we will provide accessible information directly or assist residents who are unable to access information through a third-party service.

Online maps

The website may contain maps showing locations, planning information or other geographical information.

Online maps that are not used for navigational purposes may fall outside the scope of the accessibility regulations. If you are unable to access information contained within a map, please contact the Parish Clerk and we will provide the information in an alternative format where possible.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Parish Council has not made a claim of disproportionate burden.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

The Parish Council regularly reviews the content of its website and is working to improve the accessibility of information and documents published online.

When creating or updating website content, we aim to use clear headings, meaningful links, alternative text for relevant images and accessible document formats.

Where accessibility issues relate to the functionality of the HugoFox website platform, these will be raised with the website provider as appropriate.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was originally prepared on 22 September 2020.

It was reviewed and updated on 10 September 2026 following a review and update of the Parish Council website.

The Parish Council will review this accessibility statement regularly and following significant changes to the website.

Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Parish Council
Parish Clerk:  Mrs Sherrie Babington
Address:  4 Birkhall Close, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 7QD
Telephone:  01634 868855
Email:  [email protected]

*Please contact Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and allow 5 working days to respond.