Website Accessibility

Accessibility statement for Visit Southend

This accessibility statement applies to www.visitsouthend.co.uk, managed by the Culture & Tourism team at Southend-on-Sea City 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 using your browser settings or assistive tools

• 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 recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver

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

If you need help understanding how to make your device easier to use, you can visit AbilityNet.

How accessible this website is

This website has been built with accessibility in mind from the start. Colour contrast has been checked across the website and meets accessibility requirements.

Images used across the website are decorative. Where images do not add essential information, they are treated as decorative so they do not create unnecessary noise for screen reader users.

We know that some parts of this website may not be fully accessible:

• embedded Google Maps may not be fully accessible to all users

• some third-party content may not meet the same accessibility standards as the rest of the website

• some linked documents or downloadable files may not be fully accessible

Where Google Maps are used, we provide the written address on the page so users do not have to rely on the map to find the location.

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact:

Culture & Tourism, Southend-on-Sea City Council

culture&tourism@southend.gov.uk

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website.

If you find any problems that are not listed on this page, or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

culture&tourism@southend.gov.uk

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Southend-on-Sea City Council is committed to making its websites 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-accessible content listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

• Embedded Google Maps

  Some pages include embedded Google Maps. These may not be fully accessible for people using assistive technologies or keyboard-only navigation. Where Google Maps are used, we provide the written address on the page as an accessible alternative.

• Third-party content

  Some parts of the website may include third-party content or embedded tools. We do not always have full control over the accessibility of this content. Where possible, we provide accessible supporting information on the page.

• Downloadable documents

  Some downloadable documents may not be fully accessible. We aim to make new documents accessible before they are published. If you need a document in a different format, contact us and we will provide an accessible version where possible.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that fixing any accessibility issues would be a disproportionate burden.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services.

The regulations also do not require us to fix third-party content that is not funded, developed by, or under the control of Southend-on-Sea City Council.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to review the accessibility of this website and make improvements where needed. This includes:

• checking new pages before they are published

• reviewing headings, links, forms and keyboard navigation

• checking colour contrast when new content or design elements are added

• making sure written addresses are provided where maps are used

• improving documents and downloadable content where possible

• responding to accessibility feedback from users

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 1 July 2026.

It was last reviewed on 1 July 2026.