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Accessibility statement


We want everyone who visits our website to be able to access the full range of services available, regardless of their skill or technology.

This accessibility statement applies to www.durham.gov.uk, linked sub domains of durham.gov.uk and all applications and systems that are classed as part of that site. 

This website is run by Durham County Council.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible.

  • HTML: the underlying code used to create the website
  • CSS: used to describe how HTML is shown on the pages
  • JavaScript: a development language used to program some areas of the site
  • 3rd party functionality: areas of the site which are developed by external 3rd party companies
  • content: this includes web page content or documents

Feedback and contact information

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page, think we're not meeting accessibility requirements or have any feedback, please email us at webadmin@durham.gov.uk.

If you need to contact us about any other issues, please use our contact us page.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you're not happy with how we respond, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Durham County Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Under the Equality Act 2010 we must ensure we do not unlawfully discriminate in our service delivery and make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities where necessary. We are constantly working to improve the accessibility and usability of our site.

Compliance status

    This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

    Non-accessible content

    Disproportionate burden

    • Third party suppliers: Some of our websites or applications are provided by third party suppliers where we do not have permissions or access to be able to make changes. We continue to talk to suppliers about getting their systems accessible, and also review options when contracts come up for renewal.
    • Internally built systems: Where system replacements are planned as part of our ongoing maintenance program, we are looking to finish work on newer, accessible versions, rather than fix old, out-going systems, to ensure effective use of resource.

    Below is a list of the systems and sites which we have identified as a disproportionate burden and details of the classification of the disproportionate burden, the expected date for this to be made accessible and the accessibility compliance fails.

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

    • PDFs and documents (pre September 2018): PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 and are not essential to providing our services
    • pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020
    • live audio and video including road and traffic cameras
    • interactive maps unless they provide core information
    • content that's under someone else's control that we have not paid for or developed ourselves:
      • social media buttons and embedded Twitter feeds
      • Shildon-Sunnydale leisure centre virtual tour: the tour relies on the user being able to see the tour and use a mouse to navigate it. It is a 3rd party product that was free. We do not intend to use further tours as there would be a cost associated and it is not an accessible product.
      • Bishop Auckland bus station consultation virtual tour: the tour walk through relies on the user being able to see the tour and use a mouse to navigate it. It is a 3rd party product that was free. 
      • documents that we must make available and are submitted by the public or an external organisation:
        • planning application feedback
        • council minutes and papers
        • environmental permit consultations
        • common land decommissioning enquiries
        • neighbourhood plan submissions
        • Public Rights of Way register entries
      • publications containing advertisements provided by an external organisation:
        • Warm Homes newsletters
      • archived systems that are not needed for services we provide and are not updated:
        • the People Past and Present Archive
      • Bootstrap
        • births, deaths and marriages certificates
        • DLI collections (Courageous Restraint, medals, objects)
        • The Durham Record
        • Duty to Refer
        • Library online
        • My Durham
        • Property services (CORAM)
        • Technical services (CORAM)

    Preparation of this statement

    This statement was prepared on November 2019. It was last reviewed on 22 July 2022.

    We re-assess the code, design and content of a website, application or system for accessibility whenever it undergoes a major modification. We do this internally using a combination of automated and manual checking.

    Main site page content is manually checked every time it is updated.