Accessible documents at www.tmbc.gov.uk
This policy explains how accessible the documents we publish on this website are. It covers PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations and other types of document. It does not cover content published on our website as HTML. This is covered in our Accessibility statement.
Using our documents
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF, Word and Excel.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:
- provide an HTML option where possible
- tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
- make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
- avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
- write in plain English
How accessible our documents are
New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.
However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:
- are not tagged up properly - for example, they do not contain proper headings
- are not written in plain English
This mostly applies to our to, for example, transparency documents. These types of documents are exempt from the regulations, so we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible.
But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.
What to do if you cannot use one of our documents
If you need a document we’ve published in a different format:
We’ll consider the request and get back to you in 10 days.
Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the web team at website.content@tmbc.gov.uk.
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 the accessibility of our documents
The documents we publish are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non compliance with the accessibility regulations
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards. Some they may not be structured so they're accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value) and WCAG 2.4.2 (page, titled). By February 2022, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
How we tested our documents
We last tested a sample of our documents in September 2021. The test was carried out by SDS.
We tested:
- Word
- Excel
This page was prepared on 10 November 2021. It was last updated on 10 November 2021.