Accessibility statement

Swindon Make It Here is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to www.swindonmakeithere.co.uk.

What you can do on this website

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, you should be able to:

• zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using only a keyboard
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader

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

This website also includes an accessibility tool, EqualWeb, which you can open from the icon in the top right corner of every page. EqualWeb provides a range of features including font resizing, colour contrast adjustments, text spacing, keyboard navigation support and a screen reader. There may be some limitations with screen reader compatibility, braille displays and other assistive technologies when using the EqualWeb tool.

How accessible this website is

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

• some decorative images are announced by screen readers because they carry descriptive alternative text
• heading levels on individual case study pages do not follow the correct structure
• some page titles repeat the site name, making them harder to distinguish

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

(a) Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Decorative watermark images appear on all pages of this website. These carry the alternative text "Watermark" rather than empty alternative text. This causes screen readers to announce content that conveys no meaningful information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content, Level A).

On individual case study pages, content metadata headings such as Promoter, Sector and uses, and Planning status are marked up as level 5 headings immediately after a level 1 page heading. This skips heading levels 2, 3 and 4, breaking the logical heading structure and making it harder for assistive technology users to navigate the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships, Level A) and 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels, Level AA).

Several page titles include the site name twice, for example "Kimmerfields regeneration scheme | Swindon Make It Here | Swindon Make It Here". This makes it harder for screen reader users navigating by page title to identify and distinguish pages. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled, Level A).

(b) Disproportionate burden

We have not identified any accessibility issues that would constitute a disproportionate burden to address.

(c) Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

We have not identified any content on this website that falls outside the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are working with our web design agency to address the non-compliances identified in this statement. We plan to:

• correct the alternative text on decorative watermark images across all pages
• fix the heading structure on individual case study pages
• remove the duplicate site name from affected page titles

We will update this statement when these issues have been resolved.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 16 March 2026.

It was last reviewed on 18 May 2026.

This website was last tested on 16 March 2026 by GEL Studios Ltd. The testing used a combination of automated tools and manual checks against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA standard.

We have not used an independent auditor to assess the website for both automated and manual accessibility compliance checks.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page, or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, email accessibility@swindon.gov.uk.

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, email invest@swindon.gov.uk.

We will consider your request and send an initial response within five working days.

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.

If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).