The verdict in three sentences
Bringing a London site to WCAG 2.1 AA in 2026 costs between 9 000 and 25 000 EUR in year one (audit plus fixes), then 1 800 to 4 800 EUR per year to maintain the level. The real risk is not only the enforcement action under the Equality Act and PSBAR regulations, but shutting out a share of your users and losing public tenders that score accessibility. A serious WCAG audit beats a cosmetic accessibility statement: it scores every success criterion and prioritises.
What compliance actually costs
WCAG 2.1 level AA is the reference for the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations and for most private procurement. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude for a mid-size brochure or institutional site in London.
| Line item | 2026 range (EUR) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Initial WCAG audit (all criteria) | 3 000 - 7 000 | 2 - 3 weeks |
| Technical fixes (HTML/ARIA) | 3 600 - 10 800 | 3 - 6 weeks |
| Editorial fixes (contrast, alt text) | 1 800 - 4 800 | 2 - 4 weeks |
| Accessibility statement + roadmap | 950 - 1 800 | 1 week |
| Content-editor training (2 half-days) | 1 100 - 2 200 | 1 day |
| Post-fix verification audit | 1 400 - 3 000 | 1 week |
| Annual upkeep (watch + retests) | 1 800 - 4 800 / yr | recurring |
A simple site (under 20 page templates) stays at the low end; an app with forms, maps and logged-in areas climbs fast.
The most commonly failed WCAG criteria
The same failures recur across our audits. Fixing them covers most of the path to AA.
| Common failure | Observed fail rate | Fix effort |
|---|---|---|
| Insufficient text contrast (< 4.5:1) | 68 % | Low |
| Images without meaningful alt text | 61 % | Low |
| Form fields without associated labels | 54 % | Medium |
| Incomplete keyboard navigation | 47 % | Medium to high |
| Broken heading hierarchy | 44 % | Low |
| Poorly implemented ARIA components | 39 % | High |
| Inaccessible PDF documents | 58 % | Medium |
| Video without captions or transcript | 33 % | Medium |
Enforcement risk and 2026 obligations
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Who is caught: public sector bodies, their delegates, and larger private organisations bound by procurement or the Equality Act. Duties: a visible accessibility statement, the compliance level, and a remediation plan. Breaches expose you to enforcement by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Government Digital Service monitoring team. Beyond fines, an inaccessible site loses public tenders where accessibility is a scored requirement.
Mini case study
Sarah, communications director of an NHS-linked trust in London, runs a 35-template site with a patient portal. Initial audit: 4 800 EUR; 41 non-conformities including 12 blockers. Fixes: 9 600 EUR over 7 weeks. Statement plus training: 2 700 EUR. Year-one total: 17 100 EUR. Against the enforcement risk and the loss of a regional tender requiring accessibility, the spend pays back on the first contract won.
FAQ
Am I really obliged to comply? If you are a public body, a public service delegate or a larger private organisation, yes. Many SMEs comply anyway because public buyers demand it in 30 to 40 % of tenders.
Is an automated scan enough? No. Automated tools catch only 30 to 40 % of WCAG criteria. A compliance audit requires manual human testing, notably keyboard and screen reader.
How long to become compliant? Budget 6 to 12 weeks by size: 2 to 3 weeks of audit, 3 to 6 of fixes, 1 week of verification. A large application can take 4 to 6 months.
Is compliance permanent? No. Every new page or feature can regress. Plan 1 800 to 4 800 EUR/year of watch and retests, and train your editors.
Can we do it all during a redesign? Yes, and it is the best value: building accessibility in from the start costs 15 to 25 % less than retrofitting.
Let's scope your project. Send us your page-template count, CMS and deadline: we price audit, fixes and upkeep. 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.
