Peradeo Blog · United Kingdom · Published 2026-08-28 · 7 min read
UK Web Accessibility Law: What the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Regulations Actually Require
By Vatsal Shah — Founder & CEO, IAAP WAS-Certified Accessibility Professional
The United Kingdom does not have a law called the "Web Accessibility Act" — it has something broader. Two regimes cover essentially every organization with a UK-facing website: the Equality Act 2010 for everyone, and the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 ("PSBAR") for the public sector.
The Equality Act 2010: every service provider, no thresholds
The Equality Act prohibits discrimination against disabled people by anyone providing services to the public — with no employee-count or turnover threshold. Two features make it stronger than many better-known laws:
- The duty to make reasonable adjustments is anticipatory: you must plan for disabled users in advance, not wait for someone to be excluded and complain;
- It covers websites, apps, and online services as services — courts and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) treat digital exclusion as a failure to adjust.
Most UK claims settle privately, so case law is thin — but settlements, EHRC involvement, and reputational exposure are real, and WCAG AA is the benchmark advisers and courts reach for when asking whether adjustments were reasonable.
PSBAR: the public sector's hard standard
Since 2018 (with deadlines that completed in 2021 for websites and apps), UK public sector bodies — government departments, councils, NHS organizations, universities, and more — must:
- Meet the accessibility requirement, presumed by conformance with EN 301 549 / WCAG — with UK monitoring updated to WCAG 2.2 Level AA since October 2024;
- Publish and maintain an accessibility statement in the mandated format, listing non-compliant content and contact routes;
- Respond to user requests for accessible alternatives.
The Government Digital Service (GDS) actively monitors and audits public sector sites, publishes findings, and refers persistent offenders to the EHRC (and ECNI in Northern Ireland) for enforcement. Vendors selling into the UK public sector inherit these requirements through procurement.
Post-Brexit note for international sellers
The UK is no longer bound by the European Accessibility Act — but UK businesses selling to EU consumers are still in the EAA's scope, and EU businesses serving UK customers answer to the Equality Act. If you operate on both sides, a single WCAG 2.2 AA target covers the strictest reading of each.
Practical steps
- Audit against WCAG 2.2 AA — the UK's current monitoring benchmark and a superset of 2.1 AA;
- Public bodies: keep your accessibility statement accurate and current — inaccurate statements are the most common GDS monitoring finding;
- Businesses: document your anticipatory adjustments — an audit trail is your Equality Act defence;
- Prioritize journeys that gate services: registration, booking, checkout, and account management;
- Test with real assistive technologies, including mobile screen readers — GDS audits do.
How Peradeo can help
Peradeo is a web accessibility company based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our IAAP-certified specialists audit websites and web applications against WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 AA using real assistive technologies (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), remediate the issues hands-on as developers, and prepare the compliance documentation — including VPAT® / Accessibility Conformance Reports and accessibility statements — that regulators and procurement teams ask for.
- Learn more about our web accessibility audit & remediation services
- Request a free accessibility check of your website
This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Requirements change over time — consult a qualified lawyer for advice about your specific obligations.