Cookie Policy
This policy explains what cookies are, which cookies this website uses, and how you can control them. It applies to the website of Mortimer West End Parish Council (mortimerwestend-pc.gov.uk).
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your computer, tablet or phone. They do things like remember your preferences between pages, keep a form secure while you fill it in, or count how many people visit a page. Cookies cannot run programs or carry viruses.
How we ask for your permission
The first time you visit, a banner at the bottom of the screen asks whether you are happy to accept cookies. Until you choose, we set only the strictly necessary cookies listed below — no analytics and no social media cookies are set.
If you choose Allow cookies, we remember that choice for 365 days. If you choose Decline, we set only the strictly necessary cookies and ask again after your choice expires.
You can change your mind at any time using the Cookie policy tab that stays on screen after you have made a choice, or by clearing the cookies for this website in your browser settings.
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are needed for the website to work. They do not track you and we do not need your permission to set them.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joomla session cookie (randomly generated name) | Joomla — the software this website runs on | Keeps track of your visit as you move between pages and protects forms against misuse. Marked HttpOnly, so it cannot be read by scripts. | When you close your browser |
| joomla_user_state | Joomla | Records whether an administrator is signed in. Only set for Council staff editing the website. | Session |
| cookieconsent_status | GDPR consent plugin | Remembers whether you allowed or declined cookies, so we stop asking. | 365 days |
| sppb_user_timezone | SP Page Builder — the page editor used to build this site | Stores your time zone so that any dates and times display correctly for you. | Session |
Our contact form (RSForm! Pro) also places a single-use security token in the page itself each time the form is loaded. This is not a cookie, but it works alongside the Joomla session cookie to stop automated spam being sent to the Clerk. Blocking cookies entirely does not stop the form working, but it does remove the protection that keeps the Clerk’s inbox free of automated spam.
Analytics cookies
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how people use the website — for example which pages are visited most and whether people are finding the documents they need. This helps us improve the site. These cookies are only set if you choose “Allow cookies”.
The information collected is anonymous. We do not use it to identify individuals, and we do not use it for advertising.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Tells one visitor apart from another by storing a randomly generated number. | 2 years |
| _ga_ followed by a property code | Google Analytics | Keeps track of the current visit so that pages viewed in one sitting are counted together. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Tells visitors apart over a short period. May appear alongside the cookies above. | 24 hours |
Google processes this data on our behalf. You can read Google’s explanation of how it uses cookies, and you can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on if you would prefer never to be counted on any website.
Cookies set by other services
Google reCAPTCHA
Our contact form is protected by Google reCAPTCHA, which works out whether a form is being filled in by a person or by automated software. Without it, the Clerk’s inbox would receive large volumes of spam. reCAPTCHA loads content from google.com and gstatic.com and Google may set its own cookies to do this. See Google’s privacy policy.
Google Fonts
The typefaces used on this website are served by Google Fonts from fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com. This does not set cookies, but your device’s IP address is shared with Google in order to deliver the fonts.
The home page shows the Council’s Facebook feed. It does not load until you have allowed cookies. If you do allow them, Facebook may set its own cookies — typically named _fbp, datr, sb and wd — which are outside our control. See Facebook’s cookie policy.
How to control cookies yourself
As well as the banner on this website, every major browser lets you see which cookies have been set and delete them, block cookies from particular websites, or block all cookies. Look for “Cookies” or “Privacy” in your browser settings.
Blocking all cookies will not stop you using this website or sending us a message — we have tested that. It does mean the site cannot remember your cookie choice, so you will be asked again on your next visit.
aboutcookies.org has step-by-step instructions for each browser.
Questions, and your right to complain
If you have any questions about this policy or about how the Council handles your information, please contact the Clerk:
- Email: clerk@mortimerwestend-pc.gov.uk
- Telephone: 0118 970 1576
- Post: Mrs Christine McGarvie, Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer, 71 Pelican Road, Pamber Heath, RG26 3EL
Our Privacy Notice explains more about the personal information the Council holds and why.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
When this policy was last updated
This policy was last reviewed on 29 July 2026. We review it whenever we add or remove a service that sets cookies, and at least once a year.