Cookies
Introduction
This site puts small files (known as 'cookies') onto your computer to collect information about how you browse the site
Cookies are used to:
- measure how you use the website so it can be updated and improved based on your needs
- remember some of the notifications you've seen so that we don't show them to you again
- enable functionality of some parts, e.g. remember items in shopping baskets, search criteria etc.
Cookies on this site aren't used to identify you personally.
Find out more about cookies and how to manage them, visit All about cookies.
How cookies are used on this site
General
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| cookiesDirective | Saves a message to let us know that you've seen our cookie message | 1 year |
| hideMessage | Hides the site message - until a site message gets amended or reset. | 6 months |
| mode | Sets colour scheme mode - No longer used | 3 months |
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| ASP.NET_SessionId | Used to maintain session information for the Microsoft .NET framework | when you close your browser |
| clientvars | Used to maintain session information for the platforms other than Microsoft .NET framework | when you close your browser |
| __ba_plus, __ba_launch_audio_alert, __ba_settings, __ba_trans_ok | Session information used by browsealoud to remember audio, translation and other settings | when you close your browser |
| googtrans | Session information used by Google translate to remember translation settings | when you close your browser |
| session-id, anon-session | Session information used in the revenues and benefits system | when you close your browser |
| JSESSIONID | Session information used in the planning system | when you close your browser |
| ASPSESSIONIDCSQSRSSA | Session information used in the online courses system to remember search criteria, course titles etc. | when you close your browser |
| III_EXPT_FILE, III_SESSION_ID, SESSION_SCOPE | Session information used in the library catalogue system to remember authors, book titles etc. | when you close your browser |
| PESearchCookie, PELanguageCookie | Session information used in the family information service childcare system | when you close your browser |
| FXbyfkiiSadifkbk, ZSldabRlfHkfPcJj, iCMR3nd3rF0nt51z3, SESSION_LANGUAGE | Other general session cookies set in various other sections of the site | when you close your browser |
Measuring website usage (Analytics)
We use Google Analytics and SiteImprove software to collect information about how you use our websites. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements, for example improving site search.
These store information about:
- the pages you visit on this site
- how long you spend on each page
- how you got to the site
- what you click on while you're visiting the site
We don't collect or store your personal information (for example your name or address) so this information can't be used to identify who you are.
You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | This helps us count how many people visit, by tracking if you've visited before | 2 years |
| _gid | This helps us count how many people visit, by tracking if you've visited before | 24 hours |
| _gat | Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made | 10 minutes |
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _utma | Like _ga, this lets us know if you've visited before, so we can count how many of our visitors are new to the site or to a certain page | 2 years |
| _utmb | This works with _utmc to calculate the average length of time you spend on the site | 30 minutes |
| _utmc | This works with _utmb to calculate when you close your browser | when you close your browser |
| _utmz | This tells us how you reached us (for example from another website or a search engine) | 6 months |
| NID | Contains a unique ID Google uses to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language (e.g. English), how many search results you wish to have shown per page (e.g. 10 or 20), and whether or not you wish to have Google's SafeSearch filter turned on | 6 months |
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _cfduid | Used by SiteImprove software we use for in-house analytics | 1 year |
| siteimproveses | Session cookie used by SiteImprove software we use for in-house analytics | When you close your browser |
Payments
Our main payments systems sets cookies when you visit one of payments pages.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| BIGipServerPOL_AS | Associated with managing sessions on load balanced servers, to ensure user requests are routed consistently to the correct server in the Civica payments system | When you close your browser |
| __RequestVerificationToken_ | An anti forgery token containing a random value in the Civica payments system | When you close your browser |
| CookieAccepted | Saves a message to let us know that you've seen our cookie message in the Civica payments system | 1 year |
| PHPSESSID | This cookie contains the user's session ID in the Cobalt payments system | When you close your browser |
| CMS_TimeZoneOffset | This cookie is used in the Cobalt payments system | When you close your browser |
YouTube videos
We use YouTube to provide videos on some pages of the site. YouTube sets cookies when you visit one of these pages.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _use_hitbox | This is a randomly generated number that identifies your browser | When you close your browser |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | Lets YouTube count the views of embedded YouTube videos | 9 months |
| PREF | Set by YouTube to store your preferences | When you close your browser |
| YSC | Other session cookie set by YouTube | When you close your browser |
Online forms
We use a variety of online forms which use session cookies in order to function properly.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID, SESSfsauthsession | Session cookies for use with our electronic eform system. | When you close your browser |
| AWSELB | Load balancing cookie for use with our electronic eform system | When you close your browser |
| APP_LANG | Language cookie for use with our electronic eform system | 1 day |
| SESSIONCHECK | Session cookie for use with our electronic eform system | 6 hours |