Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether guidance has been issued to Birmingham City Council on maintaining non-digital access routes for digitally excluded residents.

Everybody should be able to access the public services they need with ease.

While local authorities – including Birmingham City Council – have autonomy for how they design and deliver services, all public bodies must comply with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018, the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, which require them to consider the needs of disabled people and ensure their websites and apps are accessible to all users.

Councils are encouraged to adopt the government Service Standard and Service Manual, as a framework and guidance for good, accessible and inclusive service design.