# UK Public Sector Accessibility Regulations: What Websites and Apps Must Do

Source: https://accessibilityscore.in/uk-public-sector-accessibility-regulations
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16 by the HalfAccessible accessibility team

UK public sector websites, apps, intranets and extranets must be accessible and publish an accessibility statement. This guide covers who the regulations apply to, the standard to meet, what can be exempt, and how compliance is monitored and enforced.

## Short answer
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 require UK public sector websites and apps to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA and publish an accessibility statement. GDS monitors compliance, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland enforce it.

## Key facts

- **Full name:** Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018
- **In force:** 23 September 2018
- **Standard in GOV.UK guidance:** WCAG 2.2 Level AA
- **Must publish:** An accessibility statement, reviewed regularly
- **Covers:** Public sector websites, mobile apps for the public, intranets and extranets
- **Monitoring:** Government Digital Service (GDS), which tests a sample of sites and apps every year
- **Enforcement:** EHRC in England, Scotland and Wales; ECNI in Northern Ireland

## Who must comply with the UK accessibility regulations?

All public sector bodies must comply unless they are exempt. That includes central and local government organisations and some charities and other non-government organisations. Intranets and extranets are covered, and so are mobile apps developed for the public; apps for a defined group such as employees or students are not.

You stay legally responsible even if a supplier built or runs your website. Separately from these regulations, every UK service provider must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010, or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland.

## What does a public sector website have to do?

According to GOV.UK, a website or mobile app meets the legal requirements if it:

- meets the WCAG 2.2 Level AA standard, unless there is a valid legal reason not to, such as an exemption or disproportionate burden; and
- publishes an accessibility statement explaining how accessible it is, what is not accessible and why, and how to report problems.

## Which organisations and content are exempt?

Fully exempt organisations are non-government organisations such as charities, unless they are mostly publicly funded, provide services essential to the public or aimed at disabled people, and public sector broadcasters. Primary and secondary schools and nurseries are partially exempt: they must make accessible the content people need to use their services, and publish a statement.

Content you do not need to fix includes:

- Pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020
- Live audio and video
- Heritage collections such as scanned manuscripts
- PDFs and other documents published before 23 September 2018, unless people need them to use a service
- Maps, as long as essential information such as an address is provided accessibly
- Third-party content you did not pay for or develop, such as social media buttons
- Intranet and extranet content published before 23 September 2019, unless it is majorly revised
- Archived websites that are not needed for services and are not updated

## What is a disproportionate burden?

An organisation that is not exempt can decide not to fix something if the cost would be too much for it to reasonably bear compared with the benefit to disabled users. It must carry out an assessment and state the claim in its accessibility statement. Lack of time, knowledge or priority does not count, and claims are harder to justify for services aimed at disabled people or that let people take part in society, such as registering to vote or finding a job.

## How are the regulations monitored and enforced?

GDS monitors compliance for the Minister for the Cabinet Office by testing a sample of public sector websites and apps each year, and can publish the names of bodies with a missing or incorrect accessibility statement. Failing to meet the accessibility requirement is treated as a failure to make reasonable adjustments, which the EHRC and ECNI can act on with investigations, unlawful act notices and court action.

Users who hit a problem should first contact the organisation using the details in its accessibility statement; if unhappy with the response, they can go to the Equality Advisory and Support Service or the ECNI.

## What a UK public sector accessibility statement must cover

| Section (GOV.UK sample) | What to write |
| --- | --- |
| How accessible this website is | A plain-language summary of what works and what does not |
| Feedback and contact information | How to ask for content in another format and how to report problems |
| Enforcement procedure | That the EHRC or ECNI is responsible, and how to contact the EASS or ECNI |
| Compliance status | Fully, partially or not compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA |
| Non-accessible content | Non-compliance, disproportionate burden, and content outside the regulations |
| What we're doing to improve accessibility | Your plan and dates for fixes |
| Preparation of this statement | When it was prepared and reviewed, and how the site was tested |

## Common questions

### Which WCAG version do UK public sector websites need to meet?
WCAG 2.2 Level AA, according to the current GOV.UK guidance.

### Do UK public sector websites need an accessibility statement?
Yes. Every public sector website and app in scope must publish one and review it regularly. Partially exempt schools and nurseries must publish one too.

### Do the regulations apply to private companies?
Not directly. They apply to public sector bodies, which stay responsible for sites run by suppliers. Private companies still have duties under the Equality Act 2010.

### Are charities covered by the UK accessibility regulations?
Only if they are mostly financed by public funding, provide services essential to the public, or provide services aimed at disabled people. Otherwise they are exempt.

### Do old PDFs have to be accessible?
Documents published before 23 September 2018 are exempt unless people need them to use a service, such as a form. Newer documents must meet the standard.

### Who checks that public sector websites comply?
The Government Digital Service tests a sample each year. Enforcement is by the EHRC in England, Scotland and Wales and the ECNI in Northern Ireland.

## Sources

1. [GOV.UK: Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps)
2. [GOV.UK: Sample accessibility statement](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sample-accessibility-statement)
3. [legislation.gov.uk: The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents/made)
4. [W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/)

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