What accessible content is

Everyone experiences digital content differently. How people use our websites depends on their abilities, their situation and the technology they use.

For example, someone might:

• read on a small screen
• use captions in a noisy environment
• navigate with a keyboard instead of a mouse
• adjust text size or contrast to read comfortably

Making content accessible lets more people use our services confidently and independently.

Read about what digital accessibility means to us as a council.

How people access and interact with the web

Our 2025 research shows that:

• 67% of people access our website on mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets
• people read differently online than in print - they often scan text instead of reading every word (GOV.UK)
• many people rely on assistive tools, such as captions, screen readers, magnifiers or voice control

Making web content accessible helps everyone use our information more effectively.

Accessible content and AI 

AI tools, like search engines and machine learning systems, rely on clear, structured content to work properly. Accessibility helps AI:

• identify main topics using headings
• understand images through descriptive text
• interpret lists and structured information
• read plain text quickly and accurately

AI tools struggle with content that includes:

• images of text or images without descriptions
• video or audio-only content without captions or transcripts
• interactive elements that are not correctly coded
• content hidden inside complex widgets

By making content accessible, we help both people and digital tools find, read and use our information effectively.