All Pay Services - Find a freedom of information request

Allpay has been fined for illegal activity I would like to know why the council use a company that provides illegal activities and limits the abilities of the disabled.

Under the equality act they are putting people at a detriment not being able to use the services. Also here. Is a request for services.

Overview of UK accessibility laws for websites - Siteimprove As the standard for web accessibility in the UK is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, your website should align with its requirements for web accessibility.

The following WCAG accessibility best practises should be considered when creating content. Alternative text: Images and other non-text content should have descriptive alternative text (alt text) added to them so they can be read by a screen reader.

Alt text also helps search engines understand your non-text content better.

Keyboard navigation: All website functionality should be available using a keyboard only.

Semantic markup: A logical page structure using semantic markup to designate headings, lists and other structural elements.

For example, headings should be identified as a H1, then structured in a sensible way - H1, followed by H2 and then H3.

Tables: Data tables need extra markup. Add row and column header cells to make them accessible to screen readers.

Instructions: Instructions to complete a task should not rely on sound, shape, size or visual location.

Descriptive links: Using generic link text like 'learn more' and 'click here' provide no context to screen reader users.

All link text should therefore make sense when read in isolation.

Forms: To ensure everyone can submit a form, they need to be labeled properly - that includes text fields, dropdown lists and checkboxes.

Videos and audio: A text equivalent, such as captions or transcripts should accompany multimedia content.

PDFs: PDF files need to be tagged to make them accessible.

Color: You must not rely on color alone to signify meaning. If you do use a color to convey meaning, you should also include a text alternative.

Readability: Use accessible fonts, format copy logically with headings that enable skimming and write at a level that matches your target audience for optimal comprehension.

Skip elements: Include a skip navigation link. This helps users with assistive technology to skip repetitive elements on a page so they can read faster.

Titles: Page titles should be descriptive and informative.

Contrast: Text and images of text have sufficient color contrast ratio for users with low vision.

Text: No loss of functionality or content should occur when the text is zoomed in on.

Seizure triggers: Do not use blinking or flashing content. Also you do not offer video link and alternative contact details for disabled?

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

LCC are aware that Allpay received a fine a few years ago for wrongdoing. But they were one of a number of banking companies involved.

They were fined around £28,000, whilst the largest company involved received a £31,500,000 fine.

Following a previous tender exercise, where the contract was awarded to Allpay, the company fine was made public knowledge soon after.

The council’s legal team were consulted to assess whether the contract could stand, and it was concluded that it was. We don’t commission a provider company to deliver anything illegal, and if they were doing something illegal, we would address it through contract management.

We take accessibility standards seriously and constantly monitor our website to improve this and remove any barriers for users accessing information or services online.

In this case, the website information is essentially a banking service for assessed individuals to purchase their care requirements, the responsibility of the provider.

Our recent Government Digital Service (GDS) audit (dated November 2022) passed our website, and we are currently working towards WCAG 2.2 accessibility ahead of its 2023 date.