A cookie is a small piece of text that a website asks your web browser to save to your computer. When you visit another page on the same website, or sometimes when you next visit the website, the web browser sends the cookie back to the website so it can remember your visit. Cookies can also improve your user experience, for example by remembering information you’ve already entered so that you don’t have to type it again.
This helps web managers to see how you use their website, allowing them to analyse visitor numbers and make improvements to the way the site works.
Cookies aren’t used to identify you personally.
The Warrington Borough Council website requests cookies to:
- enable logins and the filling in of forms (strictly necessary cookies)
- check and improve the website’s operation (performance cookies)
- set language and page display options (functional cookies).
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around a website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided. The cookies contain an anonymous identifier that remains the same during the time you are on the website. Our website uses:
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Expires |
| cookieconsent_status | Checks whether you have allowed cookies to be used for logging in, accessing online forms and choosing text and colour preferences | When you close your browser |
Performance cookies
These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works. Our website uses:
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Expires |
| _utma | Google Analytics | A persistent cookie that remains on a computer unless it expires or the cookie cache is cleared. It tracks visitors within the site. Metrics associated with the Google __utma cookie include: first visit (unique visit) and last visit (returning visit) | Two years |
| _utmb | Google Analytics | This cookie works with __utmc. It notes the browser’s arrival time, and __utmc notes the exit time from the site. A timestamp of 30 minutes must pass before __utmb expires, and if no new page view is sent in thirty minutes the cookie is expired | Thirty minutes |
| _utmc | Google Analytics | This cookie works with __utmb to record how long a browser spends on the site. See notes on the __utmb cookie. | When you close your browser |
| _utmz | Google Analytics | Cookie __utmz notes where a visit arrived from, with the referrer shown as type (direct, social, search engine (organic or cpc), or unaccounted). The __utmz Cookie also registers what keyword(s) generated the visit if it came from search, plus the approximate location of the browser. | Six months |
Targeting cookies
These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaigns. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisation.
Our website does not request targeting cookies.
Third party cookies
When you visit a page with content embedded from third party sites, e.g. YouTube or Facebook, you may be presented with cookies from these websites. The council has no control over these cookies and you should check the third party websites for more information:
How to manage cookies
If you’d like to, you can set your browser to allow all cookies, or to allow only ‘trusted’ sites to send them, or to only accept cookies from websites you are currently using. We recommend that you don’t block all cookies because parts of the website rely on them to work properly.
The way to manage your cookies depends on which browser you are using. Find out more:
If you prefer not to receive cookies then you won’t be able to log in to this website, submit online forms, set text and colour preference or set the language. You can also choose to opt out of Google Analytics.
For more information you can also visit the About Cookies website or the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has a page explaining cookies.