Accessibility

This accessibility statement applies to www.london.gov.uk

This website is run by the Greater London Authority (GLA). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts
• 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

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 is this website?

This site has been built to be as accessible as possible and tested against WCAG 2.1 AA. There are some areas which are not yet fully accessible:

• When reverse tabbing the header is brought back into view which blocks the page content fully at 400%. The header region should not be pulled back into view when focus is not on it.
• On accordion components, the URL changes when any of the <button> elements are activated. This may cause the browser’s back button not to work as expected by some users.
• Online forms that contain an “I am not a robot” checkbox may be hard to see for people with low vision, as the checkbox does not have sufficient contrast with the background.
• On applying for a job users are taken into a third party platform called Taleo which is not fully accessible. We are moving to a new recruitment system for March 2024 - see 'Disproportionate burden' below. 
  • On job descriptions some content has been styled to look like headings but is not using heading mark-up and it is not possible to click on the 'Share' button using only a keyboard. The same job descriptions can be seen on london.gov.uk without these issues along with a contact email for HR support in applying.
  • On log in or register pages, when viewing the page at 400% the content runs off the visible part of the screen and cannot be read without scrolling in two dimensions, there is no focus styling on buttons and links such as 'Apply online', 'Add to My Job Cart' and ‘Log in’, some elements have duplicate IDs and there are parsing errors.
• Some older images on the website do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot read the information.
• Some PDF files are not tagged, so people using assistive technologies may not be able to understand some content. See 'Disproportionate burden' below.
• Some videos may contain information that is only provided visually. Screen reader users cannot access this information because it is not provided in an alternative format such as a transcript or audio description. 
• Recorded webcasts of London Assembly and Mayoral meetings are not yet captioned; work on a new system for this was commissioned, but has been delayed, contributed to by the pressure of the pandemic and a temporary freeze on new development work due to an ongoing rebuild across the digital estate. A new proposal is being explored. Minutes and transcripts are available on the site. 
• Selecting from the drop down list in the search box causes a page load event without the user activating the search button. Whilst not technically a non-conformance, this issue may be distracting or confusing for some users.

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:

• call 020 7983 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm)
• get in touch via our online form
• or email [email protected]

We will consider your request and get back to you within five working days, to advise further.

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, please 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 our Digital Team by emailing [email protected].

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’) in England, Wales and Scotland. 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, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Find out how to contact City Hall.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Greater London Authority (GLA) is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

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

• In some data tables with row and column headings, the first cell is a <th> element and cannot be empty. Some data tables are missing scope attributes. (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.3.1 - info and relationships).
• Some older images may not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot read the information (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.1.1 - non text content). We have been ensuring staff are trained up to do this so that as we publish new content our use of images meets accessibility standards. Our site now also enforces the addition of alt text.
• Recorded webcasts of London Assembly and Mayoral meetings are not yet captioned (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.2.2) as work on a new system for this was delayed, contributed to by the pressure of the pandemic and a freeze on new development work due to an ongoing rebuild of the digital estate. A new proposal is being reviewed. Minutes and transcripts are available on the site. 
• Semantic information may be incorrect on some pages as headings have not been nested according to specification (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.3.1 – info and relationships). Work is planned to complete fixes on this by April 2024. 
• Some pages contain elements that do not comply with html5 standards, which could have an impact on the accessibility of the page (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 4.1.1 – parsing).
• The name, role or state of some components is not properly conveyed, and some link elements have been used for functionality and vice versa (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value).
• Some videos contain information that is only provided visually. Screen reader users cannot access this information because it is not provided as audio description or as it is not provided in an alternative format (WCAG 2.1 AA criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description and WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative).
• On forms using captcha, screen reader users are not able to read the images with duplicated names that are displayed as part of the security check to ensure that only human users can pass through (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 4.1.1 – parsing).
• Controls to expand or collapse accordions do not have accessible names (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.3.1 Info and relationships). In backlog to be fixed early 2024.
• On webforms the progress bar is not as clear as it could be for users re where they are and what is next and uses an unordered list when really it is an ordered list (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 1.3.1 Info and relationships). In backlog to be fixed early 2024.

Disproportionate burden

Documents (PDFs) on London.gov.uk

Some PDF files are currently not tagged, so people using assistive technologies may not be able to understand some content (WCAG 2.1 A criterion 4.1.2 - name, role, value). We have fixed a prioritised percentage of these, according to user need, number of downloads, whether they are required for essential services or interactions and the audience.

We have assessed the time and cost of making PDFs accessible, including those published since 23 September 2018, and believe updating all of these would represent a ‘disproportionate burden’ considering the resources currently available to the GLA and how infrequently the documents are accessed. Given the very low downloads in the last year, we are not making these PDFs accessible, except for Mayoral strategies within the current administration; governance documents which require users to interact with the GLA (e.g. to make a complaint or to consult); or documents related to service provision where there is no alternative version.

Taleo careers portal

On applying for a job users are taken into a third party platform called Taleo which is not fully accessible (https://tfl.taleo.net/careersection/gla26opdc_external/). We are moving to a new recruitment system for March 2024.

• On job descriptions some content has been styled to look like headings but is not using heading mark-up and it is not possible to click on the 'Share' button using only a keyboard. Note: The same job descriptions can be seen on london.gov.uk without these issues, along with a contact email for support in applying.
• On log in or register pages, when viewing the page at 400% the content runs off the visible part of the screen and cannot be read without scrolling in two dimensions, there is no focus styling on buttons and links such as 'Apply online', 'Add to My Job Cart' and ‘Log in’, some elements have duplicate IDs and there are multiple parsing errors.

The Taleo careers portal is a third-party platform which is currently used on London.gov.uk when people click through to apply for a job. TfL provides this to us as part of a programme of shared services - and it is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution provided by Oracle. 

We have assessed the viability of making this legacy system more accessible, however we feel it would not be a good use of public resources to further pursue addressing issues in the old system. This is because the Taleo system has reached 'end of life' and there is currently an in-flight project to move to a new supplier for recruitment software to replace this. We expect the transition to the new system to happen in March 2024. We will support users who may be affected while the move occurs by offering other ways to apply and work closely with TfL and their new supplier to ensure the new system is as accessible as possible.

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

• The Google reCaptcha used as a security check on some pages is not an accessible component. If the automated "I'm not a robot" checkbox test fails, it presents sets of images that cannot be navigated by keyboard or voice control, and the supplied audio alternative is usually not distinguishable even by many people with good hearing. Neither version can be used from Braille readers. Some images displayed as part of the security check also do not have sufficient colour contrast (WCAG 1.4.3. Contrast (Minimum)). This is third party content provided by Google, which is not under our control (neither funded, nor developed by us) and so falls under the exemptions of the accessibility regulations - Application, 4. (2)(e). 
• Forms with a captcha contain a checkbox, displayed as part of the security check, which people using keyboard navigation may have difficulty in seeing as there is insufficient colour contrast when it is accessed. As this security check is third-party content which is not under our control (neither funded, nor developed by us), it falls under the exemptions of the accessibility regulations - Application, 4. (2)(e). 
• The text on maps does not always have sufficient colour contrast. This is third party content, which is not under our control (neither funded, nor developed by us) and so falls under the exemptions of the accessibility regulations - Application, 4. (2)(e).

How we tested this website

This website has been audited to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA. A sample of pages was tested which reflected all the key user journeys for the target users of London.gov.uk. A sample of pages was last retested in May-June 2023, with ongoing ad hoc testing.

All accessibility testing was done by Test Partners.

We tested:

• The main site for the GLA, available at: https://www.london.gov.uk

Note: we have carried out audits across our digital estate. Related sites and/or key digital products which sit on London.gov have their own accessibility statements which you may also want to view.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We carried out a full accessibility audit across London.gov.uk in our work towards achieving compliance by September 2020. Beyond that we continue to resolve outstanding non-compliance issues that are within our control (detailed under ‘non-compliance with the accessibility regulations’) and have created a backlog of potential accessibility and usability improvements.

We are also ensuring all new work is designed and tested for accessibility throughout the build.

To help embed accessibility in our culture, processes, and policies we have carried out training for staff (content editors and designers). This is ongoing and we are currently looking at how we can support wider staff to create more accessible content – in particular, how to manage the creation of a huge number of PDF files across the GLA and the legacy content.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 6 July 2020. It was last updated on 6 November 2023.