The verdict in three sentences
For a London council or public body, WCAG 2.2 AA remediation is a legal duty under the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 (PSBAR), monitored by the Government Digital Service and enforced through the Equality Act 2010. A realistic 2026 budget sits between 10,000 and 33,000 GBP (roughly 11,500 to 38,000 EUR) for audit plus fixes on a 300 to 1,500 page site. The right sequence: sample audit, published statement and roadmap, priority fixes on online services, then a re-test at over 75 % of criteria met.
What the regulations require from a council in 2026
PSBAR requires every public sector website to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA (55 success criteria across the four principles), to publish an accessibility statement in the GOV.UK model format, to list known issues with a fix date, and to review the statement at least once a year. GDS runs monitoring audits and can refer non-compliance to the EHRC. In practice, a borough council rarely runs a single site: main portal, libraries, leisure, planning portal, schools admissions and a procurement extranet each need their own statement.
| Requirement | 2026 detail | Risk if missing |
|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.2 AA compliance | 55 success criteria | EHRC referral, Equality Act claims |
| Accessibility statement | GOV.UK model, dated, with contact | GDS monitoring finding |
| Known issues list | Each issue with a fix date | Statement judged non-compliant |
| Annual review | At least once a year | Outdated statement flagged |
| Sample audit | 15 to 25 representative pages | Compliance claim not defensible |
| Online services | Forms, payments, bookings | Residents excluded, complaints |
How much WCAG remediation costs in London
The ranges below are 2026 orders of magnitude observed on mid-sized UK public websites. The main cost driver is the theme and CMS: an older Drupal or WordPress theme built without accessible components costs two to three times more to fix than a recent foundation.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.2 AA audit (20 pages) | 3,000 to 7,000 GBP | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Accessibility statement and roadmap | 700 to 1,700 GBP | 1 week |
| Theme and component fixes (menus, tabs, carousels) | 5,000 to 15,500 GBP | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Forms and online service fixes | 1,700 to 7,000 GBP | 2 to 4 weeks |
| PDF remediation (per batch of 50) | 1,300 to 3,500 GBP | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Content editor training (1 day, 8 staff) | 1,000 to 1,700 GBP | 1 day |
| Validation re-test | 1,700 to 3,500 GBP | 2 weeks |
Overall, plan 7,000 to 26,000 GBP of fixes on top of the audit, over 3 to 5 months. When the initial score is below 40 %, rebuilding the theme is often cheaper than a long list of fixes: above 21,000 GBP of estimated fixes, always ask for an accessible-by-design rebuild quote.
Fix or rebuild: the decision grid
| Audit finding | Recommendation | Indicative budget |
|---|---|---|
| Score above 60 %, recent CMS | Targeted fixes | 7,000 to 13,000 GBP |
| Score 40 to 60 %, custom theme | Fixes plus component rebuild | 13,000 to 26,000 GBP |
| Score below 40 %, CMS end of life | Accessible native rebuild | 30,000 to 60,000 GBP |
| Unstructured editorial content | Training and locked templates | 1,700 to 4,300 GBP |
| Over 500 PDFs online | Triage, HTML conversion, archive | 3,500 to 10,000 GBP |
Most councils procure through the G-Cloud framework or a below-threshold quick quote, which lets audit and fixes run as one lot. Ask for an auditor independent from the remediation team, or at least an independent re-test.
Mini case study
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Helen, Head of Digital at an outer London borough council, manages a 900 page Drupal portal. The initial audit scores 38 % for 4,500 GBP. The plan: theme fixes (12,000 GBP), rebuild of 6 online service forms (4,700 GBP), conversion of 120 PDFs (3,300 GBP), training for 10 editors (1,400 GBP) and re-test (2,400 GBP). Total: 28,300 GBP (about 32,900 EUR), delivered in four and a half months with a final score of 81 %. Against the cost of a single Equality Act claim and a GDS monitoring finding, the project pays for itself, and online services become usable by roughly 12 % of residents with disabilities.
FAQ
What compliance level should a council target in 2026?
Full compliance means 100 % of applicable WCAG 2.2 AA criteria, which is rare on legacy sites. Targeting over 75 % supports a credible partial compliance statement, as long as the known issues list shows fix dates within 12 to 36 months.
How many pages should the audit cover?
A typical sample is 15 to 25 pages: home, contact, accessibility statement, sitemap, key services and representative templates. Beyond 25 pages, cost rises by about 130 to 220 GBP per extra page.
Are PDFs in scope?
Yes, documents published after September 2018 are in scope, with exemptions for some older files. Councils often host 300 to 800 PDFs; converting the most viewed 20 % into HTML pages is usually cheaper than fixing everything.
Can we use an accessibility overlay widget?
No, overlays do not fix the underlying code and do not make any WCAG criterion compliant. Their subscription (450 to 2,600 GBP a year) carries no weight in a GDS monitoring audit.
What timeline should we plan?
Allow 3 to 5 months for audit, fixes and re-test, plus 1 to 2 months of procurement upstream. Starting in January gives you an updated statement before the summer.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URLs and the number of online services: we will price audit, fixes and re-test with an indicative budget and a timeline that fits your procurement route. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
