Accessibility Statement for HMGCC Public Website

Last updated 29th September 2025.

1.         Overview

This accessibility statement applies to the HMGCC public website hosted at hmgcc.gov.uk. This app is run by His Majesty's Government Communications Centre (HMGCC).

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this app. That means we’ve built the app so that you can:

·       Navigate the website without needing to use complex gestures or character keys.

·       Use the website in portrait or landscape mode

·       Increase the text spacing via your browser

·       Use captions, transcripts or audio descriptions on the videos

·       Change most colours, contrast levels and fonts (using your browser).

We've also made the text on the website as simple as possible to understand.

2.         How accessible this app is

We know some parts of this app are not fully accessible, this includes:

1.    The website does not work well at zoom levels over 300%

2.    The website is not fully keyboard accessible

·       Most success and failure messages are not announced via a screen reader

·       Some focus indicators do not meet the required contrast standards and are not consistent across pages, or within the same page.

·       Font size can be increased by zooming but not via the browser or operating system settings.

3.         What to do if you can’t access parts of this app

If you need information from this website in a different format, contact us using our contact form.

4.         Reporting accessibility problems with this app

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of the HMGCC public website. If you find any problems not listed in this statement or think we're not meeting your needs or the needs of others, consider contacting us using the contact details.

5.         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 feedback, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

6.         Contacting us

There are a few ways you can contact us. You can contact us using:

·       Via the website: send us a message on the website using our contact us form

·       Via post to: Website Accessibility, Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, MK19 7BH

7.         Technical information about this app's accessibility

HMGCC is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/952).

(a)   Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. The non-compliances are listed in section 8a.

8.         Non-accessible content

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

(b)   Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

WCAG Criteria: 1.2.5 Audio Description (pre-recorded)
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Audio-described versions of videos are no longer linked.
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Headings are used inconsistently, affecting navigation for screen reader users.
Pages affected: /early-careers, /news, /our-story, /jobs-and-roles, /application-process, co-creation site
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Mobile menus allow tabbing to hidden content, breaking logical tab order.
Pages affected: Mobile navigation menus
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Poor contrast in mobile view affects visibility due to logo and menu icon colours.
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 1.4.10 Reflow
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Content overflows at 400% zoom; menu becomes unusable.
Pages most affected: Challenge pages (“Ask question” button), top navigation (main and co-creation sites), /application-process
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Focus indicators lack sufficient contrast and are not consistent in colour/style.
Pages affected: /news (Filter button), all pages have mixed colours for the focus indicator
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.1.1 Keyboard
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: The mobile “burger menu” trigger is not reachable via keyboard.
Pages affected: Mobile/reduced-width navigation
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: No “skip to main content” link.
Pages affected: All pages
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.2 Page Titled
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Most pages titled correctly, but challenge site title unclear and missing | HMGCC from title.
Pages affected: All Co-creation site pages
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.3 Focus Order
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Focus order disrupted after expanding mobile menus.
Pages affected: Main site and co-creation site
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Links like “View challenge” lack descriptive context.
Pages affected: Challenge pages, /about-co-creation
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.5 Multiple Ways
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Sitemap broken; only top navigation available.
Pages affected: Entire site
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.6 Headings and Labels
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Inconsistent heading hierarchy and unclear pagination labels.
Pages affected: /application-process, /news, /our-story, /jobs-and-roles, co-creation site
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.7 Focus Visible
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Focus indicators are present but sometimes hard to see.
Pages affected: /news (Filter button)
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Headers and overlays obscure focused elements.
Pages affected: All pages at high zoom and mobile viewports
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 3.2.2 On Input
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue:

In the top navigation, selecting dropdown items via keyboard such as “Working with us” causes immediate page navigation when pressing the spacebar, rather than opening the dropdown menu.

On the Contact Us page, pressing “Send” automatically shifts focus to the invalid field without notifying the user.

Recommendation: Update interaction to allow spacebar to expand menus without navigation. Provide clear alerts for invalid fields and ensure focus shifts are announced.
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Navigation differs across main and co-creation sites
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 3.2.6 Consistent Help
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Help options inconsistent (contact form vs email); naming varies.
Pages affected: Footer, /contact-us, other sections with forms or email links
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 3.3.1 Error Identification
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Errors visible but not announced to screen readers.
Pages affected: /login, /contact-us
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Labels disappear on focus; required fields are unclear.
Pages affected: Search field, /contact-us
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
Conformance Level: Partially Supports
Issue: Error messages exist but are not announced to screen readers.
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue:

Navigation and buttons use invalid ARIA.

Interactive elements like pagination and navigation links are not properly labelled.

Some top navigation links have aria-expanded values when they are not expandable.

Pages affected: Pagination buttons, top navigation, social media icons
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

WCAG Criteria: 4.1.3 Status Messages
Conformance Level: Does Not Support
Issue: Status updates (e.g., login errors, account creation success, 2FA code failure/success) are not announced; users must manually find changes.
Fix Date: 17/11/2025

(c)    Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

There is no content in the app that is outside the scope of the accessibility regulations.

9.         How we tested this app

This app was tested on 29th September 2025 by HMGCC Accessibility specialists. The testing approach includes automated and manual testing, testing with a screen reader, and via voice control.

The app was and is currently being tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 level A and level AA success criteria. These tests have been carried out by our internal accessibility specialists.

We tested all features within the app and tested a random selection of documents to check that they were rendered in an accessible way.

10.  What we're doing to improve accessibility

Our development road map includes an accessibility roadmap which we can’t share externally. This shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this app. We have specified our intended fix dates next to the defect in section 8(a).

As we create new features and pages within the app, we are building and testing them against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.

11.  Preparation of this Accessibility Statement

This statement was prepared on 12th September 2025. It was last updated on 26th September 2025.

This app was last tested on 29th September 2025. The test was carried out by accessibility specialists in HMGCC.