Accessibility

Accessibility statement for the Tyne and Wear Pension Fund

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the twpf.info domain.

This website is run by South Tyneside Council. 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 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

Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:

  • some documents are in PDF or Word format and are not accessible
  • some pages and document attachments are not written in plain English

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:

  • write to us at The Pensions Office, Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 2RL
  • call 0191 424 4141

In your message, include:

  • the web address (URL) of the content
  • your email address and name
  • the format you need - for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio CD

We'll consider your request and get back to you in 5 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, email webteam@southtyneside.gov.uk or call 0191 427 7000. The Web and Digital Team are responsible for dealing with these reports.

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

You can get in touch with us by contacting:

The Pensions Office
Town Hall and Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields
Tyne and Wear
NE33 2RL

Telephone: 0191 424 4141

Technical information about this website's accessibility

South Tyneside 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 and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Navigation 

On the homepage, in mobile view, the logo link does not have discernible text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).

On the homepage, the keyboard focus is not fully visible on the 'view all news' button. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible. 

On the homepage, when using a keyboard and tabbing into the 'view all news' button, the colour contrast is insufficient. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum). 

On the news page, text cannot be re-sized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.4: Resize Text and 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum). 

On the news pages, the keyboard focus is not fully visible on the 'next' and 'previous' buttons. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible. 

On the search and news pages in mobile view, ARIA hidden elements are focusable or contain focusable elements. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value. 

PDFs and non-HTML documents

Many documents are in less accessible formats, for example PDF. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value). 

We plan to replace PDF and Word documents on our website with accessible HTML pages.

We are prioritising:

  • documents which have essential information about how to access our services
  • forms which can't be submitted online
  • documents which are regularly downloaded

When we plan to fix these issues

We are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed.

We are making sure any new content or digital services we build meet accessibility standards.

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

PDFs and non-HTML documents

Non-HTML documents published before September 2018 do not need to be accessible - unless users need them to use a service.

Video

The accessibility regulations do not require us to provide a text only format for pre-recorded video published before 23 September 2020.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 3 August 2022. It was last reviewed on 16 September 2024.

This website was last tested on 16 September 2024.. The test was carried out by South Tyneside Council.

We tested a sample of pages on our main website platform, including the following templates:

  • Homepage
  • Menu pages
  • Content pages
  • Search results page

We carried out both manual checks, and automated tests using the axe accessibility checker.