The Newbury Times is published by the GOB Media Group. We want everyone who lives in or cares about Newbury to be able to read the news, look up the bin days and find a local business here, whatever device they use and however they use it.

This page says what we do, where we know we fall short, and how to get in touch if something on the site does not work for you.

What we aim for

We work to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 at level AA. That is the standard most UK organisations use. We are a private publisher, so the public sector accessibility regulations do not apply to us, but we hold ourselves to the same guidelines because they describe what a usable site looks like.

What that means on this site

  • Every page has a single clear heading structure, so a screen reader can jump between sections.
  • Pictures that carry information have a written description. Pictures that only decorate a link have none, so the headline is not read out twice.
  • Everything can be reached and used with a keyboard alone, and the item you have reached is always visibly highlighted.
  • There is a “Skip to content” link at the top of every page.
  • Text and its background meet the contrast level the guidelines ask for, including the small print in the footer.
  • Text can be enlarged to at least 200% in your browser without anything being cut off, and the site works at phone width without sideways scrolling.
  • Nothing flashes, nothing moves on its own, and there are no time limits.
  • Every story, listing and reference page can be read with JavaScript switched off.
  • Forms have written labels, and errors are explained in words.

What we check

Each site in the group is tested with the axe-core accessibility checker in a real browser, on the home page at desktop and phone widths, on the section pages, on the directory and on the newest stories. We repeat the check after template changes. Automated tools find only part of what matters, so we also check the site by keyboard and at phone width by hand.

Where we know we fall short

  • Older stories sometimes use a chart drawn as a picture. The picture has a short description, but the full figures are in the text or the source we link to, not in the image itself.
  • The business directory uses a third-party map. The list beneath it holds the same information, so you do not need the map.
  • We link to council, police and court documents that are often PDFs. We cannot fix those files, but if you tell us which one you need we will find the information for you.
  • A few reference pages carry wide tables. On a phone they scroll sideways; the table’s own heading says so.

Tell us

If you find something here that you cannot read or use, email hello@newburytimes.co.uk and say which page it was and what happened. We will reply, and we will fix what we can. If you need any page in another form, such as plain text or large print, ask and we will send it.

If you are not happy with our answer, the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) advises on the Equality Act 2010, which is the law that covers access to services in Great Britain.

This statement was last reviewed on 12 September 2026.