Cookies & Site Storage | The Local Authority Method

This page explains exactly what we store on your device when you use this website, why we store it, and how you can control it.

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party marketing trackers. We do not sell or share your data with advertisers. Everything listed below is either required for the site to work or is stored only in your own browser.

1. What we store

Essential — required for the site to work

These are set when you sign in or pay. Under UK law (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, Regulation 6), cookies that are strictly necessary to provide a service you have asked for do not require your consent. Without them you could not sign in or subscribe.

Set by	Purpose	Type
Memberstack	Keeps you signed in to the members area and controls access to paid content.	Cookie
Stripe	Processes your payment securely and helps detect fraudulent transactions.	Cookie

Functional — stored only in your browser

These are saved in your browser's local storage on your own device. They are never transmitted to us and never leave your computer, except where noted.

Name	Purpose	Kept
`ae_profile`	Your agency name, your name, town and Instagram handle, so captions fill in automatically.	Until you clear it
`ae_uid` / `ae_ukey`	An anonymous identifier so the community can show you your own posts and let you delete them. Not linked to your name or email.	Until you clear it
`ae_avatar`	Your profile photo, if you choose to add one.	Until you remove it
`ae_joined`	The date you first opened the members area, used to show your progress.	Until you clear it

Community content

If you post in the community, the words you write, the name shown on your profile, and your photo if you have added one, are stored on our database so other members can see them. You can delete anything you have posted at any time from the community page.

2. Analytics

We currently do not run any website analytics. Nothing measures your visit, your location, or which pages you view.

If we introduce analytics in future, we will update this page first. If the tool we choose requires your consent under UK law, you will be asked for it before anything is loaded, and you will be able to decline without losing access to any part of the site.

3. How to control what is stored

You can clear everything stored by this site at any time through your browser settings, usually under Privacy, then Cookies and site data. Clearing it will sign you out and reset your saved details, but will not affect your membership or your billing.

Your browser also lets you block cookies entirely. If you do, the members area will not be able to keep you signed in.

A note on the law. UK rules on cookies come from the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, alongside the UK GDPR, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Consent is required before storing anything on your device unless an exemption applies, such as where the storage is strictly necessary for a service you have requested. We rely on that exemption for sign-in and payment only. This page is provided for transparency, which is required regardless of whether consent is needed.

4. Questions

If you have a question about anything on this page, or you want us to delete information we hold about you, please contact:

The Local Authority Method
A trading name of Freya Hickey, sole trader, Devon, United Kingdom

Email: info@hananmedia.co.uk

You also have the right to complain to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.