Cookies that measure website use (statistics)
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics cookies to collect information about how you use avonfire.gov.uk. You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You can read Google’s overview of data practices within Google Analytics. Our Privacy Notice has more information about the data we collect using Google Analytics cookies and information we receive from other digital services. We use the following Google Analytics cookies on avonfire.gov.uk:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _ga_<unique id> | These help us count how many people visit avonfire.gov.uk by tracking if you’ve visited before | 1 year |
| _ga, _gid,_gat | These help us count how many people visit avonfire.gov.uk by tracking if you’ve visited before | 2 years |
Hotjar
Hotjar Analytics is used by our site to store data about whether you have participated in a Hotjar survey, the way you interacted with a page and what you click on while you are visiting the site.
Relating to the user
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _hjSessionUser_* | Helps us track visits from users. Set when a user first lands on a page. Ensures data from subsequent visits to the same site are attributed to the same user ID. | 1 year |
| _hjid | Help us track users who visit the website multiple times. A unique Hotjar user ID is used to link their visits together. | 1 year |
| _hjFirstSeen | Identifies a new user’s first session. | Per session |
| _hjUserAttributesHash | Store user attributes during a user’s browser session so Hotjar knows when an attribute has changed and needs to be updated. | Per session |
| _hjCachedUserAttributes | Stores user attributes that are sent through the Hotjar identify API whenever the user is not in the sample. Attributes are only saved if the user interacts with a feedback tool. | Per session |
| _hjViewportId | Stores user viewport details such as size and dimensions. | Per session |
Relating to the session
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _hjSession_* | Holds current session data. Ensures subsequent requests in the session window are attributed to the same session. | 30 minutes |
| _hjSessionTooLarge | Causes Hotjar to stop collecting data if a session becomes too large. | Per session |
| _hjSessionRejected | If present, set to ‘1’ for the duration of a user’s session, when Hotjar has rejected the session from connecting to our WebSocket due to server overload. Applied in extremely rare situations to prevent severe performance issues. | Per session |
| _hjSessionResumed | Set when a session/recording is reconnected to Hotjar servers after a break in connection. | Per session |
| _hjLocalStorageTest | Used to check if the Hotjar tracking script can use local browser storage | Per session |
| _hjIncludedInPageviewSample | Set to determine if a user is included in the data sampling defined by your site’s pageview limit. | 30 minutes |
| _hjIncludedInSessionSample | Set to determine if a user is included in the data sampling defined by your site’s daily session limit. | 30 minutes |
| _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | Used to detect the first pageview session of a user. | 30 minutes |
| _hjTLDTest | We try to store the _hjTLDTest cookie for different URL substring alternatives until it fails. Enables us to try to determine the most generic cookie path to use, instead of page hostname. It means that cookies can be shared across subdomains (where applicable). After this check, the cookie is removed. | Per session |
Relating to recordings
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _hjRecordingEnabled | Set when a Recording starts. Read when the Recording module is initialised to see if the user is already in a recording in a particular session. | Per session |
| _hjRecordingLastActivity | Set in Session storage as opposed to cookies. Updated when a user recording starts and when data is sent through the WebSocket (the user performs an action that Hotjar records). | Per session |
Relating to feedback and survey tools
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _hjClosedSurveyInvites | Tell us whether a Hotjar survey invite has been closed to stop it displaying again | 1 year |
| _hjDonePolls | Tell us whether a Hotjar feedback poll has been completed to stop the same poll reappearing | 1 year |
| _hjMinimizedPolls | Keeps Hotjar feedback poll widgets minimised (once minimised by the user) when the user navigates through the website | 1 year |
| _hjShownFeedbackMessage | Set when a user minimises or completes a Hotjar feedback survey. The survey will stay minimised if the user navigates to a page where it is set to show | 1 year |
Cookies set by other websites (marketing)
Some of our pages may contain content from other sites, like YouTube or Vimeo, which may set their own cookies. These sites are sometimes called ‘third party’ services. This tells us how many people are seeing the content and whether it’s useful.
In addition, if you share a link to an avonfire.gov.uk page, the service you share it on (for example, Facebook) may set a cookie. We have no control over cookies set on other websites – you can turn them off, but not through us.
YouTube videos
We use YouTube to show videos on some avonfire.gov.uk pages. YouTube sets cookies when you visit one of these pages.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | Used by YouTube to count the views of embedded videos and provide bandwidth usage statistics | 6 months |
| VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA | Used by YouTube to store the user’s cookie consent state for the current domain | 6 months |
| GPS | Stores location data of the current user based on geographical GPS location | Per session |
| YSC | Used by YouTube to prevent spam, fraud and abuse. The YSC cookie ensured that requests to YouTube and Google are being made by the user, and not by other sites. | Per session |
| PREF | YouTube uses the ‘PREF’ cookie to store information such as your preferred page configuration and playback preferences like explicit autoplay choices, shuffle content, and player size. For YouTube Music, these preferences include volume, repeat mode, and autoplay | 8 months |
Google Maps
We use Google Maps to show locations on some avonfire.gov.uk pages. Google Maps sets cookies when you visit one of these pages.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| AEC | Used by Google are used to detect spam, fraud, and abuse to help ensure advertisers are not incorrectly charged for fraudulent or otherwise invalid impressions or interactions with ads, and that YouTube creators in the YouTube Partner Program are remunerated fairly. | 6 months |
| NID | Used by Google to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language, how many results you prefer to have shown on a search results page etc. | 6 months |
| SOCS | Used by Google to store a user’s state regarding their cookie choices. | 13 months |
| __Secure-ENID | Used by Google to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language, how many results you prefer to have shown on a search results page etc. | 13 months |
Strictly necessary cookies (functional)
Cookies message
You may see a banner when you visit avonfire.gov.uk inviting you to accept cookies or review your settings. We’ll set cookies so that your computer knows you’ve seen it and not to show it again, and also to store your settings.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| CookieControl | Used by the Civic Cookie Control consent system to store the accepted cookie policy ID. | 1 year |
Google reCAPTCHA cookies
In some limited circumstances, we may use Google reCAPTHCA to help us detect fraudulent activity. We also use Google reCAPTCHA for spam prevention. Some of the data collected by reCAPTCHA cookies is forwarded to Google. See the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Terms of Service.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| rc::c | We use Google reCAPTCHA on this site to make sure that information (for example, in forms) is entered by a human and not by automated software. | Per session |
| rc::b | We use Google reCAPTCHA on this site to make sure that information (for example, in forms) is entered by a human and not by automated software. | Per session |
| rc::a | We use Google reCAPTCHA on this site to make sure that information (for example, in forms) is entered by a human and not by automated software. | Persistent |
Other essential cookies
Essential cookies keep your information secure while you use our website. We do not need to ask permission to use them.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| wpe-auth | Used to store logged in user status | Per session |
| wp_lang | Used by WordPress to store the users language preferences | Per session |
| wp_data_user_* | Used by WordPress to provide administrative functionality | Various |
| __cf_bm | Used by Cloudflare – strictly necessary to provide the services requested by users | 30 minutes |