Cookies
What is a cookie?
Cookies are simple text files that are placed on your computer
or mobile device by a website's server and only that server will be
able to retrieve or read the contents of that cookie. Each
cookie will contain anonymous information such as a unique
identifier and the site name and some digits and numbers.
Most website you visit will use cookies to improve your user
experience by enbling that website to 'remember' you, either for
the duration of your visit (using a 'session cookie') or for repeat
visits (using a 'persistent cookie'). Session Cookies are stored
only temporarily during a browsing session and are deleted from the
user's device when the browser is closed. Persistent Cookies are
saved on your computer for a fixed period and are not deleted when
the browser is closed. These are usually used where we need to know
who you are for more than one browsing session for example to store
your preferences so they're remembered for your next visit.
Cookies we use
We use cookies that are necessary to enable you to move around
the site or to provide certain features. We also use cookies to
help us to improve the performance of the website to provide you
with a better user experience.
Below is a list of cookies set by this website and its
subdomains.
| Name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Expiration |
Website |
| __utma |
Google Analytics |
This cookie is used for identifying unique visitors and
typically written to the browser upon the first visit to your site
from that web browser. If the cookie has been deleted by the
browser operator, and the browser subsequently visits your site, a
new __utma cookie is written with a different unique ID. This
cookie is used to determine unique visitors to your site and it is
updated with each page view. Additionally, this cookie is provided
with a unique ID that Google Analytics uses to ensure both the
validity and accessibility of the cookie as an extra security
measure. |
2 years from set/update |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| __utmb |
Google Analytics |
This cookie is used to determine a visitor session and
establish and continue a user session with your site. When a user
views a page on your site, the Google Analytics code attempts to
update this cookie. If it does not find the cookie, a new one is
written and a new session is established. Each time a user visits a
different page on your site, this cookie is updated to expire in 30
minutes, thus continuing a single session for as long as user
activity continues within 30-minute intervals. This cookie expires
when a user pauses on a page on your site for longer than 30
minutes. You can modify the default length of a user session with
the _setSessionCookieTimeout() method. |
30 minutes from set/update |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| __utmc |
Google Analytics |
This cookie is used to determine a visitor session and operates
in conjunction with the __utmb cookie to determine whether or not
to establish a new session for the user. In particular, this cookie
is not provided with an expiration date, so it expires when the
user exits the browser. Should a user visit your site, exit the
browser and then return to your website within 30 minutes, the
absence of the __utmc cookie indicates that a new session needs to
be established, despite the fact that the __utmb cookie has not yet
expired. |
Not set. |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| __utmz |
Google Analytics |
This cookie tracks traffic sources and navigation and stores
the type of referral used by the visitor to reach your site,
whether via a direct method, a referring link, a website search, or
a campaign such as an ad or an email link. It is used to calculate
search engine traffic, ad campaigns and page navigation within your
own site. The cookie is updated with each page view to your
site. |
6 months from set/update |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| BGSESSIONID |
Business Link (3rd party cookie) |
This cookie is used to provide functionality for the embedded
'Business Link in a Box' in the 'Business section' of this
website. |
At the end of sesssion. |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| cookieAcceptance |
Rochdale Borough Council |
This cookie remembers if a visitor has accepted the cookie
statement. |
1 year |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| subs |
Rochdale Borough Council |
This cookie remembers if a visitor has subscribed to a page to
receive email updates. |
1 year |
rochdale.gov.uk |
| ASPSESSIONIDSSTAARBD |
ModernGov |
This is a session cookie used by the decision managment
system. |
At the end of session |
democracy.rochdale.gov.uk |
| ASP.NET_SessionId |
ModernGov |
This is a session cookie used by the decision managment
system. |
At end of session |
democracy.rochdale.gov.uk |
Last updated: 21 December 2012
Detailed information about the cookies we use:
- Google Analytics cookies – Google analytics cookies are used as
part of Google analytics statistics service. These cookies are used
to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the
information to compile reports and to help us improve the site and
provide content relevant to its users. The cookies collect
information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors
to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the
pages they visited. The Google cookies track the time spent on
various pages (but gather no personal information from our database
or session) and expire after 24 months. Further information on
Google Analytics cookies can be found at:
http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/concepts/gaConceptsCookies.html
- From time to time some pages may contain multimedia content
(e.g. YouTube videos) or social media (e.g. Twitter feeds) added by
the organisation who add he content to this portal. The sites
providing the multimedia or social media content do not have access
to any of your personal information by using this site.
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
www.aboutcookies.org
If you choose to disable cookies you will lose some features and
functionality on the council's website.
Privacy on this website
This section contains details about how we deal with
information from users of this website. This includes information
obtained from forms, email and website log files, how it is used,
and under what circumstances we will share it.
The way we deal with privacy applies only to the Rochdale
Borough Council websites at rochdale.gov.uk and its subdomains;
this does not apply to any other site, including:
- Other websites operated by or with our partner
organisations
- Any site that is linked from one of our pages
Information collected by this website
Information that this website routinely collects falls into 2
categories, forms and website log files.
Forms: The website provides forms that allow
you to:
- Give general feedback about the site
- Make complaints, comments or compliments about council
services
- Access council services
- Make payments to us and invoice us
The information collected will be stored and used by us mainly
so we can deliver a service, deal with the enquiry or process a
payment.
We will not share any personal information that we receive about
individuals with other organisations for commercial purposes, or
use it for any marketing purposes that we have not told you about
either on the form or on this page.
We may use non-personal information for business, research and
marketing purposes. In these cases reusing the information will not
identify the individual who provided it and will not contain any
contact information relating to them or their company.
For example, possible reuses of non-personal information may
include (but are not limited to):
- A report made publicly available on the site listing all the
complaints and queries made in a given period
- An internal report produced for our own staff listing any
technical problems that have arisen with the website and steps
taken to remedy them
- Marketing literature using quotes drawn from feedback given
about the council
In some cases, the information you provide on a form is optional
but omitting important information may make it difficult to deal
with an enquiry. You can send complaints, compliments and comments
without having to provide your name or email address. However,
contact details may be given if you would like to receive a
reply.
Other forms only make sense if certain information is included;
for example, a missed bin collection report is only useful if a
contact name and address are provided. On electronic forms the
required fields are clearly marked.
Information we collect from forms is not stored on the website,
but is instead sent to computer systems accessible only by
authorised staff. With the exception of our online payments system,
forms are not intended for the transmission of confidential or
security-related material and you should not use them for this.
Website log files: All websites produce log
files that record the activity on that site. Log files record which
pages on the site have been accessed and how many times. From this
information it is possible to produce statistics such as how busy
the website is, which pages are the most popular and whether there
are any broken links.
Log files typically record the IP address or hostname of all
users accessing the website. This allows us to distinguish between
different users and therefore estimate the number of unique
visitors to the website. IP addresses and hostnames are not linked
to your personally identifiable information.
We will not make specific IP addresses and hostnames publicly
available. They will only be used by website log file software to
compile overall summary statistical reports on the performance of
the website. (For more information about IP addresses and
hostnames, see 'Additional information' below.)
Website log files are stored securely on the website using
industry best practice methods for safeguarding information and
server functions.
The Data Protection Act 1998
The Data Protection Act requires us to protect any information
we collect from you. We do this by ensuring information collected
from feedback forms is not stored on the website, but is instead
sent to computer systems only accessible only by authorised
staff.
Website log files are stored securely on the website using
industry best practice methods for safeguarding information and
server functions.
