As more councils move their services online, it’s crucial that your website is not just functional, but truly accessible, usable and engaging.
Here are five ways your town or parish council website can help your community, while fulfilling legal accessibility obligations.
1. Meet WCAG compliance from design to content
Many sites meet accessibility superficially (colour contrast, alt-text etc.), but true WCAG compliance goes deeper: structuring content, proper markup, sensible navigation, keyboard usability and readable fonts. Councils should audit their existing sites and ensure that every new page or feature is built with accessibility in mind. Or contact Zonkey Council Websites for an accessibility audit.
2. Prioritise mobile-friendly, responsive design
Lots of residents will use their phones or tablets to find meeting minutes, contact info or report issues, such as a missed rubbish collection. If your site works poorly on mobile, it creates frustration and barriers. Ensure your site is responsive, loads quickly and that navigation works well on smaller screens.
3. Make content simple, clear and organised
Council sites often contain large amounts of technical, statutory or governance text. Break that down using clear headings and summaries, “What this means for you”, FAQs sections and simple language. Keep menus tidy and provide search functions. Regularly review your site content to remove outdated or redundant information and check links are still working.
4. Feature tools & functionality geared toward community interaction
Some features that make a real difference:
- News announcements and alerts (meetings, local issues)
- Events calendar
- Forms / downloads (permits, planning documents etc.)
- Feedback or “contact us” pages that are easy to find
- Interactive maps for local services or amenities
These help residents feel connected, informed and able to participate.
5. Ensure security, reliability & support is in place
A website that’s down, insecure or out of date damages trust. Choose UK-based hosting with good uptime. Make sure you have regular backups. Ensure your domain / email / governance-related info is up to date. Plan for ongoing support (technical, content-migration, updates).
Your council website is a vital connection between you and your community. By prioritising accessibility, clarity, engagement and reliability, you can serve residents more effectively while meeting your legal obligations.
At Zonkey, we provide secure UK-based hosting to keep your data safely within the UK and fully GDPR compliant.
Whether you need an accessibility review of your current site, support migrating to a modern platform, or help achieving WCAG compliance, our team is here for you. Get in touch today for a free consultation – or request a quote for a new, fully compliant council website.
Photo by Microsoft Edge on Unsplash