Accessibility

We are always working to make sure our website is as accessible and usable as possible. We use Silktide to scan our entire website on a weekly basis. This is to make the website content as simple as possible to understand. Every page is scored against accessibility standards. Actions are made in response to the calls for improvements.

This accessibility statement applies to the website: www.harrow.gov.uk. The website is run by the London Borough of Harrow. We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our website. If you find any problems feel free to tell us using the feedback button on the right of your screen.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) handles enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).

Compliance status

We aim to operate a website that follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1. Our website is:

  • Partly compliant with A and AA standards. This is due to the non-compliances listed below.
  • Not compliant with AAA standards. This is due to the non-compliances listed below.

Accessibility and user needs are at the core of our online experience. Our website allows you to:

  • Change colours, contrast levels, and fonts.
  • Zoom in to 300% without the text spilling off the screen.
  • Navigate most of the website using only a keyboard.
  • Navigate most of the website with speech recognition software.
  • Listen to most of the website using a screen reader. This includes recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver.

Browser support

We support the following browsers:

  • IE7 and above
  • Recent versions of Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome
  • iOS Safari
  • Android 2.3 and above

Our website works with most screen magnifiers. It's also compatible with speech recognition software. For example, Dragon Naturally Speaking. The website also works with speech packages, such as:

  • Jaws.
  • ZoomText.
  • NVDA.
  • VoiceOver.
  • Window Eyes.
  • Supernova screen readers.
  • MAGic.

Non-compliant areas of the website

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. We are working on these areas to ensure our website is as accessible as possible.

Images without alt-text

Some images do not have a text alternative. Some users using screen readers may not access the information. This fails certain success criteria in WCAG 2.1. When we publish new content, we will ensure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

Reporting maps

Some of our maps are hard to navigate for screen reader users. This fails certain success criteria in WCAG 2.1.

PDF readability

Some of our PDF content on the website is not fully readable. This can make it difficult to access information for screen reader users. This fails certain success criteria in WCAG 2.1. We continue to optimise our non-readable PDFs.

Help with our website

We are committed to providing a great online experience. For tips on how to use certain parts of our website please see below.

Navigating the website

Hover your mouse over the services button at the top right of the webpage. It will show our list of service areas and topics. Selecting a service area or topic will take you to a landing page. From here, you will find a narrower interest area and some related pages.

Once you arrive at a webpage, you can backtrack using the breadcrumb links. These are links that represent where you’ve been on the site. You can find them under our logo. You can also retrace your steps by using the browser’s back button.

Searching the website

At the top of each webpage is a search field with a magnifying glass icon. Enter one or more keywords and tap or click the magnifying glass icon. You can also press 'Enter' on your keyboard. This will return a list of pages that are related to the word or keywords you entered.

Downloading documents

The majority of downloadable files on our site are PDF files. To view a PDF file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download it for free from the Adobe website. If you have problems, you may update your browser to the latest version. You can do so via the appropriate suppliers’ website.

Contacting us or visiting us in person

You can find details about how to visit us on our contact us page.

If you're unhappy with our response to a complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service.