Our legal basis

Where cookies are strictly necessary for our Website to function, we rely on our legitimate interests to use them. For all non-essential cookies (e.g., analytics/marketing), we rely on your consent under the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). You can withdraw your consent at any time via our cookie banner or your browser settings.

How we use cookies

• Essential / strictly necessary – to keep the site secure and functioning (e.g., load pages, remember your session if you log in to a portal).
• Preferences – to remember choices like language or cookie consent.
• Analytics – to understand site traffic and improve content (enabled only if you consent).
• Embedded content & social – to display videos or enable social features, which may set third-party cookies (only when you play/engage and, where applicable, if you’ve consented).

Cookies we use

• wordpress_test_cookie – Checks if your browser accepts cookies. (First-party, Essential, Session)
• wordpress_logged_in_* – Keeps you logged in after authentication (for restricted/portal areas). (First-party, Essential, Session)
• wordpress_sec_* – Security/session management for logged-in users. (First-party, Essential, Session)
• wp-settings-*, wp-settings-time-* – Stores admin/dashboard and interface preferences (for logged-in users). (First-party, Preferences, Up to 1 year)
• cookie_consent, cookieyes-consent, complianz_* – Records your cookie preferences so we don’t ask every time. (First-party, Preferences, Up to 1 year)
• _ga, _ga_*, _gid (if enabled) – Google Analytics 4: measures site usage to help us improve. Set only with consent. IP anonymisation enabled where configured. (Third-party Google, Analytics, _ga_* up to 2 years; _gid 24 hours)
• YSC, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, PREF – YouTube player settings and usage. Set when you interact with embedded videos. (Third-party YouTube, Functional/Analytics, Session to ~6 months)
• _fbp (if enabled) – Helps deliver advertising and site analytics via Meta technologies (only with consent). (Third-party Meta, Marketing, 3 months)

If we add or remove tools, this list will be updated.

Managing cookies

• Cookie banner: Use the “Manage cookies” link in our banner to change or withdraw consent at any time.
• Browser settings: You can block or delete cookies via your browser. Most browsers let you refuse third-party cookies or all cookies, and delete existing cookies. Blocking essential cookies may affect site functionality.
• Third-party opt-outs: Where we use third-party services (e.g., Google Analytics), you can also manage settings in those services.

Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. There is no common standard for responding to DNT; we currently do not respond to DNT signals. We will update this policy if that changes.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, law, or our services. When we post changes, we’ll update the “Last updated” date at the top.

Contact us

If you have questions about cookies or this policy, contact: info@futureworks.ac.uk (subject: Cookies) or call 0161 214 4600. For more about how we handle personal data, see our Privacy Policy.