Last updated: 26 October 2026
1. About this policy
This policy explains how cookies and similar technologies are used on meritaccountants.co.uk, which is run by Merit Accountants and Tax Advisors Ltd. It should be read with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal data more generally.
2. What cookies are
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your computer, phone or tablet when you visit. Similar technologies, such as tracking scripts and local storage, work in much the same way. We use “cookies” in this policy to cover all of them.
Some cookies are needed for a website to work. Others help the owner understand how the site is used, or track visitors for advertising.
3. The law
Cookies are governed by regulation 6 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR), as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, and by UK GDPR where a cookie collects personal data. The consent requirement, and the exceptions to it, are set out in Schedule A1 to PECR.
Cookies that are strictly necessary to provide the website, such as the cookie that remembers your cookie choices, have never needed consent. Since 5 February 2026, Schedule A1 has added further exceptions for certain low-risk cookies. These include cookies used only to collect statistics about how a website is used so that it can be improved, where the information is not shared except with someone helping to make those improvements, and cookies that adapt how the website appears or functions to your preferences. These can be set without consent provided visitors are given clear and comprehensive information and a simple, free way to object.
Because Google Analytics sends information about your visit to Google, an outside company, and may involve a transfer to the United States, we have chosen not to rely on these exceptions for it. We only use Google Analytics if you agree.
4. The cookies we use
We group the cookies on our website into three categories.
| Category | Set by | What they do | How long they last | Consent needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Our cookie banner (cookie named merit_cookie_consent) | Remembers whether you have accepted or rejected analytics cookies, so we do not ask on every page | 6 months, after which we ask you again | No |
| Strictly necessary | WordPress.com, our website host | Keep the website secure and working properly | Varies by cookie | No |
| Statistics and functionality (no consent needed; you can object) | WordPress.com, our website host (performance script and emoji check) | The performance script measures how quickly each page loads and sends those timings, the page address and basic connection details to WordPress.com so it can fix faults; it does not store anything on your device. The emoji check stores a small note in your browser recording whether it can display emoji, so the test is not repeated on every page | Emoji note: deleted when you close your browser; performance script: nothing stored | No |
| Analytics | Google Analytics (cookies named _ga, and _ga_ followed by a code taken from our measurement ID) | Tell visitors apart so we can count them, see which pages are used and improve the site | Up to 2 years | Yes |
Objecting to the WordPress.com items. You can stop the performance script by blocking scripts from s0.wp.com and pixel.wp.com, in your browser settings or with a content-blocking extension. You can stop the emoji note by setting your browser to block this website from storing data, or remove it by clearing this site’s data in your browser.
We do not use advertising or social media cookies. If we add cookies in a new category, we will update this policy first and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent.
Content from other companies. Some pages include content provided by other companies: Google reCAPTCHA on our enquiry forms to protect them from spam, our Google reviews shown through EmbedSocial, and our videos from YouTube, which appear on our Vlogs page and on some service and article pages. When a page with this content loads, your browser connects to that company, which receives your IP address and may use its own cookies or similar technologies under its own privacy policy. We use reCAPTCHA only to keep our forms secure. Our videos use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode where it is available, so simply viewing a page with a video does not affect your YouTube experience; YouTube may use cookies once you play a video. The client testimonial videos on our home page use YouTube’s standard player, which loads from YouTube only when you click to play one; YouTube may then use its own cookies.
5. Google Analytics
Google Analytics tells us how many people visit our site, which pages they look at, how long they stay and how they found us. It helps us see which articles and pages are useful and improve those that are not. The information is presented to us in a form that does not identify individual visitors. Google Analytics keeps this data for 2 months, after which it is deleted automatically.
Google processes this data on our behalf and may transfer it to the United States. Google is certified under the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which provides the safeguard for this transfer. You can read more in Google’s privacy policy.
Google Analytics cookies are only set once you click “Accept” on our cookie banner. If you reject them, or ignore the banner, they are not set.
6. Your choices
- Our cookie banner: when you first visit, you can accept or reject analytics cookies. Both options are shown with equal prominence, and rejecting them does not affect how the website works.
- Changing your mind: you can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie settings” link at the bottom of every page.
- Your browser: most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking all cookies may stop some parts of the site from working.
- Google’s opt-out tool: you can stop Google Analytics collecting data on any website by installing Google’s Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
7. Changes and contact
Tracking in our newsletter emails is covered in section 17 of our Privacy Policy. We will update this policy if we change the cookies we use. If you have any questions, email services@meritaccountants.co.uk or write to FAO Managing Partner (Data Protection), Merit Accountants, 16 Upper Woburn Place, London, WC1H 0AF. You can also call any of our offices using the numbers on our contact page.
If you are unhappy with how we use cookies, you can complain to us or to the Information Commission (ICO), as explained in section 19 of our Privacy Policy.