Accessibility statement for ValidFirst

This service is provided by ValidFirst. When a council uses ValidFirst, that council is responsible for the accessibility of the service it offers and publishes its own statement; this statement covers what we build.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the service using just a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the service using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the text as simple as possible to understand, and explain planning terms the first time they are used.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this service is

We know some parts of this service are not fully accessible:

• uploading by drag and drop has a keyboard alternative (a file picker), but how upload and check progress is announced to screen readers has not been fully tested
• the check report is an HTML page; a PDF made from it by printing may not be fully accessible
• plans and drawings uploaded by applicants are not accessible documents, and this is outside our control
• the login code sent by email expires after 15 minutes for security reasons; you can ask for a new code at any time, and you can paste it rather than type it

Feedback and contact information

If you find a problem not listed on this page, think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, or need information in a different format such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, email hello@validfirst.co.uk. We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.

Using ValidFirst is always optional. You can submit a planning application without it, through the Planning Portal or by contacting your council.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the “accessibility regulations”). If you’re not happy with how we or your council respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this service’s accessibility

We are committed to making this service accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, so that councils using it can meet them.

Compliance status

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the issues listed below and parts not yet tested.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• Upload and check progress may not be announced to screen reader users. This may fail WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.3 (Status Messages). We will test and fix this before the manual audit.
• The automated audit has been run on our sister product’s pages, which share most components, but not yet on the ValidFirst pages. Issues it finds will be listed here.

Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Documents uploaded by applicants (plans, drawings, photos, reports) are third-party content that is not funded, developed or under our control or the council’s. Maps showing constraints at a site are exempt where the essential information is also given in text; the constraints are always listed in text.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

• Automated accessibility tests (axe-core) run as part of development and fail on any critical or serious issue. We are extending them to every ValidFirst page and to the WCAG 2.2 rules.
• A manual audit against WCAG 2.2 AA by an independent accessibility specialist is planned, covering keyboard journeys, screen readers, zoom and reflow, and the WCAG 2.2 additions such as target size and accessible authentication.
• A council can use its own colours, but the service keeps text contrast at 4.5:1 or more.
• Passkeys are supported, so officers and applicants can log in without remembering or transcribing anything.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 14 November 2026. It was last reviewed on 14 November 2026.

The ValidFirst pages have not yet been tested in full. The previous automated audit (axe-core, with short manual checks of keyboard use, focus, 320 pixel reflow and form labels) was carried out on our sister product’s pages on 10 November 2026; its results do not carry over and the audit will be repeated on these pages.

More on how we build and run the service: Security, data and AI.