Why the new website?
“Why did we need a new website?” you may ask. It can be summed up in a couple of words, regulatory compliance.
As holder of a .GOV.UK web address (domain name) there are certain technical requirements the Town Council must meet. These rules are imposed by the Government Digital Services (GDS) on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The Town Council must also as a public body, meet a set of criteria known as “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines” (WCAG) 2.1 standards. This sets out guidelines using international standards for how webpages are put together and function when used by those with vision,hearing or mobility difficulties. Compliance with these standards is also monitored by the GDS.
Rather than trying to make the former website compliant, it was simpler to rebuild the site in a way that complied with both the Cabinet Office rules for GOV.UK domains and the WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
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