Information on our Terms and Conditions and Privacy information
Fair Disclosure Notice
The information provided by you will be held and processed by Southend-on-Sea City Council at all times in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
It will be used for its intended purpose but may also be used for internal statistical analysis as well as being processed and disclosed for the prevention or detection of crime, assessment of tax or in furtherance of the Council's legal obligations.
Your information will be held and disposed of in line with the Council's Document Retention and Disposal Guidance.
EU cookie directive
From 26 May 2011 a new European Union directive required all websites to gain the consent of our users to download cookies on to their machines. On 24 May 2012, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) released new guidance which said that a website can operate with cookies through 'implied consent.'
Implied consent
We want our users to find information and services quickly, we have taken the decision to promote how we use cookies on our website and provide you with enough information to control your own settings. Implied consent means that by using our website, you agree to cookies being set. If users want to disable cookies, this policy talks you through how to do this.
Cookies
When visiting our website, we will sometimes place small data files on you computer or mobile device. These are called cookies. Many large websites do this. We do this to make our website work better.
We want to provide you with the highest level of service and collect limited personal information to enable a better, more relevant experience from our website. You can access our website's homepage and browse our sites without disclosing your personal data. You are invited to register / sign-in for completing service requests through online forms, so that you may benefit from added value content, which may help you complete a form, do business, browse content and view information relevant to our services.
The following table shows what cookies we collect and why:
The Cookies We Collect
| Cookie | Name | Purpose | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics * | _utma _utmb _utmc _utmz |
These cookies are to gather information on how visitors use our website. With this information we create reports to help us improve our site. These cookies collect anonymous information including the number of visitors to the site, what pages they visited and when. | View Googles Privacy Notice |
| Website | TestCookie | We use this cookie to test your browser to ensure you can log in to our site. This cookie is a session cookie and is removed when you leave the site. | |
| Website | PHPSESSID | This cookie is used to store the session ID of the user and is required to determine if a user is logged in to the website. This cookie is a session cookie and is removed when you leave the site. | |
| Maps | .Google.co.uk | This cookie is used so we can display Google Maps to you. This is a 3rd party cookie. |
* You can opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics, this will apply across all websites and not just our site. For more information please visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Citizens Access Account - Cookies
Citizens Access is our portal which has online forms for things related to benefits, council tax and business rates.
- ORA_WWV_APP_1030 - This cookie is used to store current application ID.
- LOGIN_USERNAME_COOKIE - This cookie is used to store current username.
- 244057E19D296667E0532801A8C0D5103F3 - This cookie is used to store current session ID.
- 10AF4D783F0B15A3E05333903AD45EDD10AF4D783F0C15A3E05333903AD45E103DD - This cookie is used to store remember me token.
Third party cookies
Our website contains third-party cookies from embedded content and social media.
Cookies placed on your computer or mobile device from a third party are not related to southend.gov.uk. We do not control how a third party uses their cookies. Please check third party websites' privacy policies.
Embedded content and social media cookies
Our site has a number of pages with embedded videos or other content that utilise cookies from a third party to enable this.
- Twitter privacy policy (external link)
- YouTube privacy policy (external link)
- Facebook Data use policy
Search Engine
The search engine on our website is designed to be as powerful and easy to use as the popular search engine Google. The search is made possible by a piece of hardware (a search 'appliance') supplied by Google that is plugged into our server and continuously indexes the content on our site. All search requests are handled by the appliance and the information is not passed on to any third party, including Google.
Removing Cookies from Your Device
Most cookies are easy to delete. Deleting can be done either through your Internet browser (Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer etc.) or on your device though your file management software (Windows XP etc.) for further information please visit allaboutcookies.org.
Disclaimer
All material on this website is copyright of Southend-on-Sea City Council.
Whilst Southend-on-Sea City Council uses its best endeavours to present up to date and accurate of information on this web site, it:
(a) does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability of legality of any of the information provided;
(b) expressly disclaims all or any warranties, express or implied, relating to this website, including in particular any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose;
(c) will not be liable to you under any circumstances whatsoever for any loss, damage or inconvenience or for any direct, indirect, consequential, punitive or special damages arising from your use of this service;
(d) reserves the right, at its discretion, from time to time to make changes to the information provided, to alter the nature of this service or to withdraw the service.
You are therefore advised to check the information provided to you through this service. Any reliance that you place on the accuracy of that information is at your own sole risk.
Southend-on-Sea City Council accepts no responsibility for the content of any site to which a hypertext link from this web site exists or to external sites over which it has no control.
Terms and Conditions for Online Payments
Below are the terms and conditions that apply to all online payments made to Southend-on-Sea City Council.
All payments are subject to the following conditions:
- Your payment will take a minimum of 2 working days to reach your account. This includes time to verify your credit/debit card details with your credit/debit card supplier and for payment to be notified to the Southend-on-Sea City Council. If your payment is overdue and recovery action is about to be taken, you should contact the relevant department that issued the invoice or payment notice.
- We are unable to accept any liability for a payment not reaching the intended account due to a customer quoting an incorrect account number.
- We can not accept liability if a payment is refused or declined by the credit/debit card supplier due to the customer quoting incorrect card details, or other reasons. If the credit/debit card supplier declines payment, the Council is under no obligation to bring this fact to the customer's attention. Customers should check with their bank/credit/debit card supplier that payment has been deducted from their account.
Confirmation of Payment
You will receive a confirmation of your payment on your screen after you make the online payment. If you have provided an email address an email will be sent to you confirming the payment once your transaction has completed successfully.
Refund and Cancellation Policy
Where Southend-on-Sea City Council agrees that a refund is due in respect of a payment made to us then:
- the credit/debit card used for the payment will be refunded
- this will be performed as soon as possible but within 14 days of the refund application being received and agreed by the Council.
Should you have any queries regarding an overpayment on your account and think you may be eligible for a refund, then please contact the relevant department quoting your receipt or reference number.
Legal Statement
- The data (information) that you provide during this transaction will only be used for the purpose of recording your payment. We shall abide by the principles of the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that the data is used for no other purpose and is not disclosed to a third party i.e. other companies or individuals unless required to do so by law for the prevention of crime and the detection of fraud. In line with the DPA we will only hold your data for as long as is required and will then be deleted in line with Council's Document Retention and Disposal Guidance.
For further details follow the link "Terms and Disclaimer" at the bottom of this page.
Limitation of Liability
In no event will the Council, its suppliers, or other third parties mentioned at this site be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, those resulting from lost profits, lost data or business interruption) arising out of the use, inability to use, or the results of use of this site, any websites linked to this site, or the materials or information contained at any or all such sites, whether based on warranty, contract, tort or any other legal theory and whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages.