Accessibility of public sector websites and apps: new duties and regulations
New regulations to make public sector websites and apps accessible to everyone, especially users with disabilities. The regulations implement a new EU Directive.
The deadline for responses has changed to 11:45pm on Tuesday 29 May. If you send a response after the deadline it might not be considered.
The EU Directive on the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile applications will be brought into UK law this year.
The directive means public sector websites and apps must be made more accessible, except in cases where this would be disproportionate. You’ll meet the new rules if your website or app meets the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) accessibility standards at level AA. This is currently WCAG 2.0.
The government intends to implement the new rules in UK law by passing regulations. These will put new duties on public sector bodies to make their websites and apps accessible.
Accessibility refers to the principles and techniques used when you design, build, maintain and update websites and apps to make sure people can use them, especially people with disabilities.
This consultation seeks views on:
- what you’ll need to do to comply with the new rules if you’re affected by them
- how the rules should be monitored and enforced
- the draft regulations that will bring the Directive into UK law
Please indicate in your response whether you are happy for it to be published, and whether or not you want it to be attributed to you or your organisation.
Consultation overview: British Sign Language (BSL) translationAccessibility of public sector apps and websites: new duties and regulations
Consultation information and questions: BSL translationAccessibility of public sector apps and websites: new duties and regulations
Consultation outcome: government response - BSL translationAccessibility of public sector apps and websites: government response