Cookies

How we use cookies

By using the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council website you’re confirming that you’re happy to accept our use of cookies. Here you can find out more about how we use them.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small, harmless files placed on your computer’s hard drive or in your browser memory when you visit a website

What do cookies do?

Cookies help to make the interaction between users and websites faster and easier. What cookies don't do is store any personal or confidential information about you.

Are cookies safe?

Yes, cookies are harmless text files. They can’t look into your computer or read any personal information or other material on your hard drive. Cookies can’t carry viruses or install anything harmful on your computer.

Why should I keep cookies switched on?

We advise you to keep cookies active during your visits to our website because parts of the site rely on them to work properly. 

Types of cookie we use

Like most large websites, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council uses session cookies and persistent cookies. Neither session cookies nor persistent cookies collect any personally identifiable information.

Session cookies

We use session cookies, which last only for the duration of your visit (your 'session') and are deleted when you close your browser. These simply enable us to identify that the same person is moving from page to page.

Persistent cookies

We also use certain cookies that are persistent, meaning that they last beyond your session. Persistent cookies help our website remember you as a user each time you use the same computer to revisit us.

Cookies currently used

This website uses cookies in several places – we’ve listed each of them below along with more details about why we use them and how long they will last.

Council Advertising Network

The adverts on our website are provided by the Council Advertising Network. View the Council Advertising Network Privacy Policy for information on what data they collect and how to opt-out.


Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics cookies to collect information about how visitors use this site and when issues are encountered (such as broken links). Google analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you were on the site, how you got here and what you click on. We do not store your personal information so this information cannot be used to identify who you are. We do not allow Google to use or share our data.

We use Google Analytics to make sure our website is meeting our users’ needs and to help prioritise improvements. Google provides more details on the  Google privacy and cookie policy  page. Google also provides a  browser add-on  which allows you to opt out of Google Analytics across all websites.

 

Cookies used by Google Analytics
Name Typical Content Expires
_utma  randomly generated number 2 years
_utmb  randomly generated number 30 minutes
_utmc  randomly generated number When you close your browser
_utmz  randomly generated number and information on how the site was reached (e.g. direct or via a link, organic search or paid search) 6 months