Accessibility Statement


This statement applies to the Local Government Association’s principal website (www.local.gov.uk). 

This website is run by the Local Government Association. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website and we are working continuously to improve. You should be able to: 

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts 
  • zoom in up to 300% 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver) 

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. 

How accessible this website is 

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible: 

  • older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software because of tagging and reading order issues 
  • older videos may not have fully accurate subtitles 
  • some of our older animations do not have a description of the action displayed as an alternative to the video 

Feedback and contact information 

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille: 

  • email [email protected] 
  • call 020 7664 3000 
  • give us the URL of the content and the format that you require 

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 15 (working) days.  

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, contact: [email protected] where the information will be passed to the content owner for improvement. 

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)

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person 

Our offices have audio induction loops if you wish to come and speak with us. Our main office contact number is 020 7664 3000

Find out how to contact us by visiting www.local.gov.uk/about/contact-us

Technical information about this website’s accessibility 

The Local Government Association 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 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below. 

Non-accessible content 

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons. 

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations 

Success criterion 1.1.1: non-text content 

Where older documents have diagrams and/or tables, some of these do not have a text alternative, so the information in them isn’t available to people using a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). 

Success criterion 2.1.1: Is all content and functionality operable through a keyboard? 

The module that we use for accepting cookie preferences fails SC 2.1.1 because you cannot currently use the keyboard to provide focus and modify preferences for cookie storage. We will aim to fix this by summer 2022. 

Success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value 

Several component parts of our templates need further work to pass SC 4.1.2 and these include the naming of iframes generated from media players. The names and state of our content accordions (expands with more information) also need further work. This work will be completed with our web developers in Autumn 2022. 

Disproportionate burden 

The past events section of the website contains PDF and PowerPoint slides which we believe are a disproportionate burden to remediate. Each event can produce slide packs with varying degrees of accessibility. We provide guidance and support in producing the materials, but we are dependent on external authors to maintain the quality. The slides are for attendees of the events, though they are made public. They are kept online for between 6 to 12 months, at which point they are deleted. A full disproportionate burden assessment has been made and is available on request. 

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations 

Some of our documents were produced in a print format before 23 September 2018. This type of document cannot be read by screen readers and other forms of assistive technology, so it fails to meet the success criteria for perception set out in standard 1.1.1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA

Some of our PDF documents produced before 23 September 2018 are not properly tagged, or do not use accessible headings or structures. This means that they do not meet the success criteria for navigation set out in standard 2.4.6 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to remediate PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. We don’t plan to amend: 

  • briefing papers 
  • reports and publications 
  • research and statistics 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility 

All staff continuous training and information to ensure that standards are maintained. The LGA’s digital team oversee this process and take any action to amend online information and educate content creators.  

Standards and guidelines for externally procured materials is now provided to contractors. 

In the summer of 2022 (exact time to be confirmed) the Digital Accessibility Centre will review the website for further improvements. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 14 March 2022 and will be reviewed in late summer 2022 after further developments are completed. 

This website was last tested on 1 March 2022. The simplified test was carried out by the LGA following a series of technical updates made by our developer following internal reviews.