Accessibility Statement for South Lambeth Services

This accessibility statement explains how services and information for people in South Lambeth are designed to be as accessible and usable as possible. It applies to the main public website and online services used by residents, visitors, and businesses in the South Lambeth area.

Our commitment to accessibility in South Lambeth

We want everyone in South Lambeth to be able to access information and services in a way that meets their needs. This includes people with visual, hearing, cognitive, learning, and motor impairments, as well as people using assistive technologies. We are working to ensure that as many people as possible can use our online services independently, safely, and with confidence.

Standards and compliance

Our aim is to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, level AA. These internationally recognised guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible and usable for everyone. We regularly review our pages and templates to improve compatibility and maintain WCAG 2.1 AA alignment, with a particular focus on content and services that are most used by people in South Lambeth.

Support for screen readers and assistive technologies

Our website is designed to work with common screen readers and other assistive technologies. We use semantic HTML markup where possible so that page structure, headings, lists, and form fields make sense when read out loud. Images that convey meaning are given descriptive text, and we avoid using images of text. We aim to ensure that important information is not conveyed by colour alone, and that text alternatives are available wherever needed.

Keyboard navigation and focus order

All key services and content should be usable with a keyboard alone, without the need for a mouse. Interactive elements, such as links, buttons, and form controls, are arranged in a logical focus order to support efficient navigation. We aim to provide a clear visible focus indicator, so you can easily see which element on the page is currently selected. Where possible, we avoid keyboard traps, and we test navigation paths that are likely to be important for South Lambeth users, such as service information and local support pages.

Text, layout, and readability

We aim to write content in clear, plain language and keep sentences short where possible. Pages are designed to be responsive so that they can be used on a range of devices and screen sizes within the South Lambeth community. You should be able to zoom in using your browser without losing content or functionality. Colour contrast is chosen to meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios, to help users with low vision or colour vision deficiency.

Ongoing improvements and known issues

We are continually working to improve the accessibility of our online services in South Lambeth. Some older documents or third-party services that we rely on may not fully meet accessibility standards. When issues are identified, we aim to fix them as part of our regular update cycle or, where this is not possible, provide accessible alternatives.

Requesting information in an accessible format

If you need information about South Lambeth services in a different format, such as large print, audio, easy read, or an alternative language, you can contact us and explain what you need and which document or page you are referring to. We will discuss reasonable adjustments and try to provide the information in a format that works for you.

Feedback and reporting accessibility problems

We welcome feedback from anyone using our services in South Lambeth. If you find any problems that are not mentioned on this page, or if you think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us with as much detail as possible. Include the web address of the page, what you were trying to do, and any assistive technology or browser you were using. This helps us investigate and improve our services for everyone.

Enforcement and further support

We want to resolve accessibility issues directly wherever possible. If you are not satisfied with our response to an accessibility request or concern, you may be able to seek further advice or support from independent advocacy or equality advice services that operate in or around South Lambeth. We can provide details of relevant organisations on request.