The Disability Oversight Panel will be provided with reports on two topics: the progress that has been made on improving digital accessibility on the council website, and the ways Camden Council encourages participation in sport and physical activity among residents who have disabilities.

Sport and Physical Activity for Disabled People

A report by Stephan von Schilling, Camden's Active Living Manager will update the panel on the ways the council encourages participation in sport and physical activity among residents who have disabilities.

The report lists all of the council-funded schemes and services available, and highlights the role of the Camden Disability Sports and Physical Activity Network (CDSPAN), the main strategic body for disability sport in the borough.

The report will respond to a request from the Chair of the Panel to investigate several areas of particular interest:

• A general update on what is on offer for people with disabilities.
• An evaluation of what Camden's leisure centres offer to carers in terms of encouraging their participation in physical activity.
• The options available to Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents, and whether these could be improved.
• How welcome Camden's leisure centres are to people with disabilities.
• What recent developments there have been in Camden's leisure centres.

The report describes Camden's contract with Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), who run the borough's six leisure centres. It goes on to describe some of the ways GLL supports people with disabilities to be active, and the training that their staff have received in disability equality.

GLL are committed to providing targeted activities, including interventions to encourage residents that are less likely to exercise for a range of reasons including support for those who face financial barriers, confidence issues, as well as new routes into physical activity for deaf and disabled people, those living with poor mental health and those with long-term health conditions.

- Sport and Physical Activity Report, page 3

The report will also describe the council's relationship with community organisations that represent disabled people in Camden.

Digital Accessibility

The meeting will also include a report from Louise Brown, Camden Council's Head of Digital Products and Services, on how the council is improving the accessibility of its digital estate for disabled residents.

The report will describe the progress that has been made since the last update to the panel in 2023, and outline the work that will be undertaken in future.

In particular, the report describes the work being done to make the council's main website, Camden.gov.uk, more accessible.

It describes how the council is meeting its duties under the The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which came into force in October 2024, and require councils to ensure that their websites meet the WCAG 2.2¹ accessibility guidelines.

It goes on to explain some of the technical changes that have been made to the website, and also some of the changes in working practices that have been introduced.

We have engaged with Digital procurement teams and are now providing contractual guidance to ensure that all renewed and new contracts with external providers are aware of their obligations to make their digital services accessible.

- Digital Accessibility, page 2

The report also describes how the council is making other parts of its digital estate more accessible, including:

• The Adult Community Learning booking website
• The Local Offer website
• The Families website
• The Leaseholder Services section of Camden.gov.uk
• The Mobilise website for unpaid carers

Finally, the report describes how the council has set aside a budget to ensure that accessibility is given sufficient priority in future.