This statement applies to and covers this website (shaftesbury-tc.gov.uk) which is run by Shaftesbury Town Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, this means you should be able to:
- Zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- Listen to most of the website using a screen reader
- All links underline when hovered over to make them distinguishable from text
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
- most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
What to do if you cannot access parts of this website
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
- Email the office
- Call the office on 01747 852420 (10am to 2pm Monday to Friday)
- Write to us at Shaftesbury Town Council, The Town Hall, High Street, Shaftesbury, SP7 8LY
- We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
- Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. Find out how to contact us
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within two working days.
If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email us for directions.
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, please contact us
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 this website’s accessibility
Shaftesbury Town 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 version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations.
PDFs and other documents
Most of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2.
The accessibility regulations do not require the council to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we don’t plan to fix earlier agendas from meetings. It would place a disproportionate burden on the council’s limited staff and financial resources to retrospectively make all PDFs from 2018 to March 2026 accessible and the council doesn’t therefore intend to attempt this. However, officers will always do their best to help if there is a particular document which you need to access in a different format. Please contact us.
The following forms are in word or PDF format:
If you need help with this please contact us.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
Issues with PDFs and other documents
We will be endeavouring to ensure that new PDFs meet accessibility standards. If you have accessibility issues with an older document, please contact us and we will provide it in a different format.
How we tested this website
This website was last tested in March 2026. The test was carried out by Council Officers and by its website advisors, DesignJam using the WAVE Evaluation and other tools.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This is a draft statement prepared March 2026 and is awaiting approval. The previous statement was prepared on 13th December 2022 and adopted by Full Council 20th May 2025.
This website was last tested March 2026 by Shaftesbury Town Council and its website advisors, DesignJam.