Cookies
Cookies are small text files that may be placed on your computer when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work and to make them more efficient. Cookies also help website owners understand how you use the site so that they can make it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Find out how to manage cookies on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
Our privacy statement applies to our use of cookies.
How we use cookies on www.kent.gov.uk
Analytics cookies
We use Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and GovMetric CX to understand how you use our website and to gather feedback, so we can improve it.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to collect information about how you use this website (kent.gov.uk). We do this to help make sure the site is meeting your needs and to make improvements based on our findings.
Google Analytics stores information about:
- the pages you visit on Kent.gov.uk
- the time you spend on each page
- how you got to the site
- what you click on while you’re visiting the site.
Google may retain user and event data for up to 14 months. We don’t collect or store your personal information (for example your name or address) so we can’t identify who you are. We don’t allow Google to use or share our analytics data.
Read Google's overview of privacy and safeguarding data and find out how you can opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites.
Google Analytics uses the following cookies on our website:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Used to distinguish users. | 90 days |
| _gid | Used to distinguish users. | 24 hours |
| _gat | Used to throttle request rate. | 1 minute |
| AMP_TOKEN | Contains a token that can be used to retrieve a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate opt-out, inflight request or an error retrieving a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. | 30 seconds to 1 year |
| _gac_<property-id> | Contains campaign related information for the user. | 90 days |
| _ga_<container-id> | Used to persist session state. | 90 days |
| _gac_gb_<container-id> | Contains campaign related information. | 90 days |
Microsoft Clarity
We use Microsoft Clarity to help us understand how users interact with the website. We do this using behavioural metrics, heatmaps, and session replays provided by Microsoft Clarity to help us improve our website.
In order to do this, Microsoft Clarity uses cookies and related technologies to collect information about the user and their visit to our website.
You can find out more about the cookies Microsoft Clarity uses on their website.
Microsoft collects or receives personal data from you to provide Microsoft Advertising. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
You can control Microsoft’s use of your data for personalised advertising from Microsoft by visiting their opt-out page.
You can access and clear some of your data through the Microsoft privacy dashboard.
GovMetric CX
We use GovMetric CX to capture users’ feedback about visits to our website. When you move around our website GovMetric CX captures information about which pages you visit. The information it captures includes your ‘IP address’, this is the unique identification of the device you are using to access the internet. In order to protect your privacy GovMetric CX encrypts your IP address as soon as it captures it so that it can no longer be used to identify you. Further information about how GovMetrics CX works and what information they use can be found on the GovMetric privacy page.
GovMetric CX uses the following cookies on our website:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| AWSELB | Used for load balancing. | 5 minutes |
| AWSELBCORS | Used for load balancing. | 5 minutes |
Functional cookies
We use functional cookies so you can watch embedded videos on our website.
YouTube
We embed YouTube videos so that you can watch them on our website. We use YouTube’s Privacy Enhanced Mode which means that YouTube will not store personally-identifiable cookie information when you watch their videos on our web pages.
YouTube uses the following cookies on our website:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| PREF* | Stores information such as a user’s preferred page configuration and playback preferences like autoplay, shuffle content, and player size. | After 8 months |
| YSC | Used by YouTube to remember user input and associate a user’s actions. | Session |
| VISITOR INFO1 LIVE | Used to remember your preferences and is also used to detect and resolve problems with the service. | After 8 months |
For more information visit the YouTube Privacy and Safety Centre.
Vimeo
We use Vimeo’s embeddable video player to show video content on some pages of our website. This player uses cookies that Vimeo consider to be essential to the video player experience.
We have enabled the DNT (do not track) parameter on all embedded Vimeo videos on our website, which stops the player from tracking any session data, including all cookies and analytics. This has the same effect as enabling a Do Not Track setting in your browser.
For more information read the Vimeo cookie policy.
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are needed to make our website work.
Our cookie management solution
You may see a modal window when you visit our website, to let you know that we would like to use cookies and to ask for your consent. We call this our 'cookie management solution'.
We use the following cookies on our website:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| cookie-management-preferences-set | Lets us know that you have saved your cookie preferences. | 90 days |
| cookie-management-status | Saves your cookie preferences. | 90 days |
| cookie-management-version | Allows us to reconfirm your cookie preferences whenever we change our cookie usage. | 90 days |
Squiz Matrix
We use Squiz Matrix to manage the content on our website.
We use the following cookies on our website:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| SQ_SYSTEM_SESSION | This allows the site to differentiate between user visits to make the website work. | Session |
| SimpleSAMLAuthToken | This cookie is used to remember your logged in status. | Session |
| SimpleSAMLSessionID | This cookie is used to remember your logged in status. | Session |
| SSOredirect | Allows us to redirect you to the page you were on before logging in. | Session |
| AWSELB | Used for load balancing. | 1 week |
| AWSELBCORS | Used for load balancing. | 1 week |
Other Kent County Council online services
This cookie policy and our cookie management solution applies to www.kent.gov.uk.
Most of the online services we provide use different software and systems, for example: the iCasework Customer Feedback Service, the Let’s Talk Kent resident engagement platform and the Spydus library members system. These services, and any other websites we link to, may set additional cookies and, if so, will have their own cookie policy and, where applicable, a consent mechanism.
iCasework
We use the iCasework software to manage customer feedback (including complaints) about KCC and its services. It uses session cookies when you submit your feedback using our online form. These help to maintain your place in the online form as you complete it. They are essential to the service and must always be turned on for the system to work properly.
See our Customer Feedback Privacy Notice for more information.
Modern.Gov
We use the Modern.Gov software to provide information about our County Council, Committee and Sub-Committee meetings (https://democracy.kent.gov.uk).
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| ASP.NET_SessionId | It stores a unique identifier for each visit to retain session state across multiple pages. This cookie is essential for Modern.Gov to work. | Session |
| _mglogon_ | It stores a unique identifier for each visit to retain session state across multiple pages. This cookie is essential for Modern.Gov to work. | Session |
These cookies are “strictly necessary” as they are needed for this part of the website to work. These cookies are only used when visiting this part of our site.
Read the Modern Gov Privacy Notice for more information.
Mailchimp
We use Mailchimp to manage our email updates for residents. Mailchimp automatically places single pixel images, also known as web beacons, in every email sent by us through their system. These are tiny graphic files that contain unique identifiers that enable Mailchimp to recognize when people have opened an email or clicked certain links. These technologies record email address, IP address, date, and time associated with each open and click for a campaign. Mailchimp uses this data to create reports about how an email campaign performed.
We also use Mailchimp’s “Landing Pages” service for our sign up page, with the “Track with Mailchimp” option activated. This feature uses additional cookies or tracking technologies that allow us to track unique visits to the landing page and calculates the conversion rate by comparing the number of unique visits to the number of end users who subscribe.
You can set preferences about what cookies are served on Mailchimp Sites by visiting the Mailchimp website and clicking on the “Privacy Settings” link.
Ask a Kent Librarian
We use software provided by Springshare to provide the Ask a Kent Librarian service. The link on our page takes you to their system. They use cookies to store your GDPR consent and manage your session.
Read the Springshare privacy policy and Springshare GDPR compliance statement for more information.
Zipporah
We use Zipporah software to allow people to book registrations appointments and order certificates online. (https://secure.kent.zipporah.co.uk/CeremonyPlanner.Kent.Live/).
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| ZipGenAcc | This cookie makes sure users only have appropriate access to relevant portions of the site. The data is not human readable and is anonymous. | Session |
This cookie is “strictly necessary” as it is needed for our online registrations booking service to work properly. This cookie is only used when visiting the registrations booking part of our website.
Our social media accounts
We use social media sites to communicate and engage with residents, businesses, and communities in Kent and beyond. These sites may use cookies themselves, but you cannot control them using the cookie management solution on our website. You will need to use the consent mechanisms on each of those websites or apps to set your cookie preferences.
- Facebook cookies and other storage technologies
- X (Twitter) use of cookies and similar technologies
- Instagram privacy settings
- LinkedIn cookie policy
- NextDoor privacy policy
- YouTube privacy controls.
Changing your cookie settings
If you no longer want this website to use non-essential cookies when you visit, you can manage your cookie preferences using the button below. However, this may not necessarily remove any unexpired cookies we have set. You'll need to reload any open pages for the changes to fully take effect.
There are several ways you can manage or delete cookies depending on which browser you used when you visited our website. Find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers:
- clear, enable and manage cookies in Google Chrome
- delete cookies in Microsoft Edge
- manage cookies in Firefox
- Opera security and privacy
- manage cookies and website data in Apple Safari
- delete and manage cookies in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
To find information relating to other browsers, visit the browser developer's website.
Session cookies are only stored temporarily and expire once you close your browser.
To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set, visit the About cookies website or visit the All about cookies website.
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