Cookies are used in our web applications to keep track of your preferences, your logins, enabling the web site to run efficiently and collecting data on how people use our web site.
When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device as well as analysing your journey through the site, to help us improve your experience as a user.
These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
- measuring how many people are using online services, to help us improve the website
This is done through small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
A cookie is a small text file usually containing a random and unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a web server and then stored onto your computer's hard drive. They are used to store information about you on your computer.
Cookies we use
We use Google Analytics and Site Analyze to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to make sure the site is meeting our users' needs and to understand how we could make improvements to the sites user experience.
Google Analytics and Site Analyze store information about what pages you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on. We do not collect or store your personal information (eg your name, address or IP address) so this information can't be used to identify who you are. We do not allow Google to use or share our Analytics data.
Google Analytics
The following cookies are set by Google Analytics:
Google Analytics Cookies (.wigan.gov.uk)
| Cookie Name | Expires | Secure |
|---|
| __utma |
2 years |
No |
| __utmc |
End of session |
No |
| __utmz |
6 months |
No |
| _ga |
2 years |
No |
SiteAnalyze Analytics
The following cookies are set by SiteAnalyze
Site Analyze Website Cookies (.siteimprove.com)
| Cookie Name | Expires | Secure |
|---|
| nmstat |
1000 days |
No |
Hotjar cookies
We use hotjar to monitor analytics and user journeys to help us improve the customer experience on the website. All cookies will last for 365 days.
- _hjClosedSurveyInvites - This cookie is set once a visitor interacts with a Survey invitation modal popup. It is used to ensure that the same invite does not re-appear if it has already been shown.
- _hjDonePolls - This cookie is set once a visitor completes a poll using the Feedback Poll widget. It is used to ensure that the same poll does not re-appear if it has already been filled in.
- _hjMinimizedPolls - This cookie is set once a visitor minimizes a Feedback Poll widget. It is used to ensure that the widget stays minimizes when the visitor navigates through your site.
- _hjDoneTestersWidgets - This cookie is set once a visitor submits their information in the Recruit User Testers widget. It is used to ensure that the same form does not re-appear if it has already been filled in.
- _hjIncludedInSample - This session cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the sample which is used to generate funnels.
- _hjShownFeedbackMessage - This cookie is set when a visitor minimizes or completes Incoming Feedback. This is done so that the Incoming Feedback will load as minimized immediately if they navigate to another page where it is set to show.
- _hjid - This cookie is set when the customer first lands on a page with the Hotjar script. It is used to persist the Hotjar User ID, unique to that site on the browser. This ensures that behaviour in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID.
Wigan MBC Cookies
We use these cookies to keep track of user preferences and enable the web site to work efficiently.
Wigan Website Cookies (.wigan.gov.uk)
| Cookie Name |
ASP.NET_SessionId |
|---|
| Expires |
At end of session |
|---|
| Secure |
No |
|---|
The Website is written in a web framework called ASP.NET. The ASPNET SessionID cookie is used to keep track of the session while you browse the web site. It can't be used to identify you.
UserPreferences keeps track of how you view the site. I keeps a track of whether you view the site in High Contrast or in Large Extra Large or Normal text size.
YouTube cookies
YouTube Cookies (.youtube.com)
| Cookie Name | Expires | Secure |
|---|
| HSID |
20 Years |
No |
| LOGIN _ INFO |
20 Years |
No |
| PREF |
20 Years |
No |
| SID |
20 Years |
No |
| SSID |
20 Years |
No |
| VISITOR_ INFO1 _ LIVE |
6 months |
No |
| use_hitbox |
End of session |
No |
We use YouTube cookies to embed streaming video on our web site. YouTube inserts these cookies for keeping tracking of visitors, user preferences and collecting statistics about views. They can't be used to identify you. See Google privacy policy (external link) for information.
Blocking cookies
If you don't want to receive cookies, you can change the settings in your browser so it notifies you when cookies are sent to it and can refuse them. You can also delete cookies that have already been set - the Help function in your browser should tell you how.
Further information on controlling cookies is available at AboutCookies.org.uk (external link).
Blocking Google Analytics
Some modern browsers make it possible to block the Google Analytics cookie from collecting data. This is done by installing an add-on to your browser. Browsers that offer this are Internet Explorer v8 to v11, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Opera.
Please note: If you choose to disable cookies you will lose some features and functionality on the council's website.
Further Information
For further information on how cookies work and how to block them visit Wikipedia cookies (external link)
To see how to control cookies in your browser visit the following website: All about cookies (external link).