Web standards for developers and suppliers

Our web development standards are intended for use by in-house website and application developers, and for third-party suppliers that provide web-based products or services to the council.

If you have any questions about these standards, please contact Web and Digital Services.

Accessibility

  • All websites, web applications and mobile applications must adhere to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 as stipulated by the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
  • Suppliers must provide evidence of compliance.

Web browser support

Design and branding

To ensure a consistent and high quality experience for our users, all website components and applications should make use of a master website template.

  • A unique template will be provided for each application or application type.
  • Each template will contain tokens (placeholders) for dynamic content.
  • Templates are available either as a single page, or as a set of three segments (head, header, footer).
  • Templates will be made available via one or more URLs.
  • Templates should be automatically fetched every 24 hours, to ensure consistency with the website.
  • Widgets and embedded apps that don't require a full-template should follow our style guide.

Error pages

All applications should present an appropriate error page when required. Error pages can be downloaded in HTML format below.

Applications should either make use of the generic error page, or the specific versions for each error type. Applications should always return the correct HTTP status code for each error type, regardless of whether a generic or specific error message is displayed.