Our website uses a small number of cookies: some essential ones that make the site work and keep it secure, and, with your consent, analytics cookies that help us understand how the site is used. You can accept or reject non-essential cookies, and you can manage or delete cookies through your browser at any time. We do not currently use cookies for paid advertising.
Introduction
Like almost every website, the Hackles & Co website uses cookies: small files that help the site work properly and help us understand how it is used.
This policy exists so you know exactly what that means in practice: what cookies are, which kinds our site may use, what they do, and the choices you have about them. UK law requires websites to be clear about cookies and to ask for consent before using the non-essential kinds, and we think that is exactly how it should be.
This Cookie Policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains more broadly how Hackles & Co collects, uses and looks after personal information.
Who We Are
Hackles & Co helps small and growing businesses get practical business needs sorted through one clear route, providing recruitment and staffing support, Business Presence Reviews and Business Essentials Reviews directly, and helping arrange specialist support through trusted providers. This website is operated by Hackles & Co, and we are responsible for the cookies it sets.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your computer, phone or tablet when you visit. They let the site remember things, such as that you are the same visitor moving from page to page, or the choices you made on a previous visit.
Some cookies last only as long as your visit and disappear when you close your browser (often called session cookies). Others stay on your device for a set period so the site can recognise you next time (often called persistent cookies). Similar technologies, such as small tracking images and local storage, work in much the same way, and we use the word cookies in this policy to cover them all.
How We Use Cookies
We use a small amount of essential website technology to operate the site and its forms, protect core functionality and remember the cookie choice you make. With your permission, we also use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the website is used and where it can be improved.
Analytics is optional. Google Analytics is not loaded and no analytics page view is sent until you actively accept analytics cookies. We do not use advertising, personalisation or social-media tracking cookies.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential website technology
- Supports core website and form functionality and stores your cookie preference locally. It is always active and is not used for analytics or advertising.
- Analytics cookies
- Google Analytics cookies help us understand site usage and performance. They are off by default and are used only after you accept analytics.
Essential Website Technology
Essential technology supports the core operation of the website and its enquiry forms. The website also stores a versioned record of your cookie choice in your browser's local storage so the same choice can be applied across public pages and we do not ask on every visit. This record contains only the consent version, whether analytics was accepted, and timing information. It contains no name, email address or other personal details.
The consent record expires after 180 days. If our consent system changes materially, a new version will ask you to choose again.
Google Analytics
With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand matters such as the pages visited, general session activity, approximate location, referral source, and browser and device information. We use this information to assess how the site performs and where its content or navigation can be improved.
Google Analytics uses first-party cookies including _ga and _ga_<container-id> to distinguish users and maintain session state. Google's default expiry for these cookies is up to two years, although browser limits may shorten this. Analytics remains disabled until you accept it.
We do not intentionally send form-field values, names, email addresses, telephone numbers, enquiry messages, vacancy details or candidate information to Google Analytics. Page locations sent to Analytics exclude website query-string values.
Google as Analytics Provider
Google provides the analytics service and processes analytics information under its own terms and privacy information. Hackles & Co uses basic Google Consent Mode: the Google Analytics tag is blocked while analytics consent is absent or rejected and is loaded only after analytics is accepted.
If analytics is rejected, we do not load Google Analytics and do not send cookieless analytics pings. Rejecting analytics does not affect access to the website or its forms.
Cookie Consent
On your first visit, the cookie banner offers three clear routes:
- Accept analytics. Google Analytics is enabled and an initial page view is sent.
- Reject non-essential. Google Analytics remains disabled and the website continues to work normally.
- Manage preferences. You can review the essential and analytics categories before saving your choice.
We do not infer consent from scrolling, continued browsing or closing the preferences panel.
Managing Cookies
You can reopen the preference panel at any time by selecting Cookie preferences in the footer. You can then accept analytics, reject it or save a revised choice. If you withdraw analytics consent, future analytics events are stopped and known Google Analytics cookies are removed where the browser allows.
You can also view, block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking all website storage may prevent the site from remembering your preference, so the cookie banner may appear again.
Changes to This Cookie Policy
We update this policy when the website's features change, when the services behind it change, or when legal requirements move. The current version is always available on our website, and the version history is shown in Section 13. Where a change meaningfully affects the cookies used, the consent settings will reflect it and ask again where required.
Contact Us
Questions about this policy or about cookies on our website can be directed to:
Broader questions about how we handle personal information are covered in our Privacy Policy, which includes details of your rights and how to raise a concern.
Version Control
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | July 2026 | Updated for the live Google Analytics consent system |
| 1.0 | June 2026 | First issue |
Related documents
- Privacy Policy: how Hackles & Co collects, uses and looks after personal information, including your rights.
- Terms of Business: the terms that apply to our services, provided with every engagement.