Accessible Website Design
For council websites and local authority websites
An accessible council website isn’t just a legal or compliance consideration — it’s a commitment to making your digital presence work for everyone, regardless of how they browse, read, or interact online. At Aqueous, we design and build websites that meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA and AAA standards, and we carry out thorough accessibility audits to help businesses and public sector organisations identify barriers, meet their obligations, and reach the widest possible audience.
With a wealth of accessibility experience in our design team, we bring both technical rigour and genuine care to every project. Whether you’re commissioning a new site or looking to improve an existing one, we can help you create an online presence that is inclusive, compliant, and built to last.
Our accessibility services cover everything from WCAG 2.2 audits and accessibility statements to remediation support, screen reader testing, colour contrast analysis, keyboard navigation reviews, and accessible PDF assessment. We work with a wide range of organisations — from small businesses and charities to local authorities and public sector bodies — helping them meet the requirements of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations, the Equality Act 2010, and EN 301 549. Every audit is delivered with a clear, prioritised remediation plan so you know exactly what needs fixing and why.
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Accessibility Audits & Remediation
We carry out detailed WCAG 2.2 accessibility audits — combining automated tools with expert manual testing — and deliver clear, actionable reports that help businesses, charities, and public sector organisations understand and resolve accessibility barriers efficiently. Our audit process covers the full scope of WCAG 2.2 Level AA and AAA requirements, including screen reader usability, keyboard-only navigation, colour contrast ratios, accessible forms, document accessibility, image alt text, video captions, and focus order — assessed across both desktop and mobile.
WCAG 2.2 Compliance
We design, develop, and maintain WCAG 2.2 compliant websites that are accessible, inclusive, and built to the latest web standards. From semantic HTML structure and keyboard-navigable layouts to accessible forms, sufficient colour contrast, and screen reader compatibility, every site we build is designed to work for all users — whether they rely on assistive technology or not — and to meet your legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
Guidance & Support
Maintaining an accessible website requires consistent, informed content practices across your whole team. Our accessible content guidance covers the key areas where issues most commonly arise — including manual captioning for video content, creating and uploading accessible PDFs, writing descriptive alt text for images, avoiding text-in-image graphics, using correct heading structures, and ensuring links are meaningfully labelled. We help your staff build good habits so that accessibility is maintained long after your initial audit or website build is complete.
Accessible by design, not as an afterthought.
True web accessibility isn’t something you retrofit — it’s something you build in from the very first decision. Our web design and development process is structured around WCAG 2.2 success criteria at every stage, from initial wireframing and content architecture through to final testing and launch. The result is a website that is genuinely usable by the widest possible audience, including people with visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments.
Every site we design addresses the four core principles of accessible web design — Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) — across all devices and browsers. In practice, that means:
- Logical page structure and hierarchy — content organised with correct heading levels, landmark regions, and intuitive navigation patterns
- Colour contrast and visual clarity — text and interface elements that meet or exceed WCAG 2.2 contrast requirements for all users
- Full keyboard and assistive technology support — layouts and interactions that work without a mouse, and are compatible with screen readers and alternative input devices
- Meaningful alternative text and multimedia accessibility — images, video, and audio content described and captioned correctly
- Accessible forms and interactive components — clearly labelled fields, helpful error messages, and interactions that behave predictably for all users
Accessibility auditing and ongoing strategy.
A WCAG 2.2 compliant website isn’t a destination — it’s an ongoing commitment. Standards evolve, content changes, and new features introduce new potential barriers. Our accessibility auditing service gives you a clear, expert assessment of where your website stands right now, and our strategic guidance helps you put the right processes in place so accessibility remains embedded in everything you do going forward.
Whether you’re responding to a complaint, preparing for a public sector accessibility regulations deadline, or simply want to understand your current position, our audits provide the clarity and direction you need. Each review combines automated scanning with rigorous manual testing — including keyboard-only evaluation and screen reader testing across multiple assistive technologies — and is assessed against the full WCAG 2.2 Level AA and AAA success criteria.
Our accessibility auditing service includes:
- Comprehensive automated and manual testing — using industry-standard tools alongside expert human evaluation to surface issues that automated scanners alone cannot detect
- Detailed audit reports with prioritised findings — structured by severity and mapped to specific WCAG 2.2 criteria, so your development team has a precise remediation roadmap
- Accessibility statements — drafted or reviewed to meet the requirements of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations
- Strategic accessibility planning — helping you embed accessibility governance into your content workflows, design processes, and procurement decisions
- Ongoing consultancy and team support — so you have expert guidance available as your website grows and evolves
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