Accessibility statements – does your charity need to have one on your website?

If you are a public sector body or a charity that has received public or government funding then you are required to have an accessibility statement on your website. An accessibility statement is a legal document required under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. The Public Sector Bodies accessibility regulations build on the existing obligations you have under the Equality Act 2010.

This article is a short, simplified summary and should not be regarded as the definitive set of requirements to check your organisation against. For full information refer to the Public Sector Accessibility Regulations.

A ‘public sector body’ is one of the following:

• Regional or local authorities.
• Bodies governed by public law or
• Associations formed by one or more of the regional or local authorities or one or more of the bodies governed by public law – if those associations are established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest. These are not commercial or industrial organisations.
• The State.

Characteristics of “bodies governed by public law” include:

• Established for the purpose of meeting the needs of the general public, but not industrial or commercial in character.
• Financed, for the most part, by the State, regional or local authorities, or by other bodies governed by public law.
• Subject to management supervision by those authorities or bodies.
• They have an administrative, managerial or supervisory board, more than half of whose members are appointed by the State, regional or local authorities, or by other bodies governed by public law.