Cookie Policy
Last updated August 2026
About cookies on Signpost
A cookie is a small file a website stores in your browser. We keep our use of cookies deliberately small. We use essential cookies to make Signpost work. With your consent we also use a first party analytics cookie that helps us understand where our visitors come from, and the Meta advertising pixel, which helps us measure our advertising and reach people who may need supported housing. Analytics and advertising are separate choices, and you can change either one at any time.
Cookies we use
| Cookie | Type | What it does | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign in / session (sb-*) | Essential | Keeps you securely signed in and protects your session. | For your session, as set by our authentication provider |
| sp_consent | Essential | Remembers your analytics choice so we do not ask every visit. | 12 months |
| sp_ads | Essential | Remembers your advertising choice so we do not ask every visit. | 12 months |
| sp_ft | Analytics (first party) | Records the first source that brought you to Signpost, for example a search engine, a referral link or a campaign tag, so we can see what is working. Set only if you accept analytics. It holds a source label, not your identity. | 6 months |
| _fbp, _fbc | Advertising (third party, Meta) | Set by the Meta pixel to measure which ads bring people to Signpost and to show our ads to people who have visited. Set only if you accept advertising. We send Meta a listing reference and a location, never a listing title and never your search filters. | 90 days |
Essential cookies do not need your consent, because the site cannot work without them. The analytics cookie is optional and is only set if you choose Accept.
Advertising and the Meta pixel
With your consent we use the Meta pixel, a third party advertising tool from Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram. It lets us measure which ads bring people to Signpost and show our ads to people who have visited before. It stays off until you accept advertising, and accepting analytics does not turn it on.
Because people tell us something sensitive simply by searching here, we send Meta as little as we can. When you view a listing we send a listing reference, never the listing title. When you search we send only the location, never your filters. So a search for a particular kind of support, or a listing for a refuge, is never shared as words with Meta. If you reject advertising, or change your mind later, we do not load the pixel and we delete the cookies it set.
Aside from the Meta pixel we do not use Google Analytics or any other third party tracking. Our own analytics is the single first party sp_ft cookie above, and only with your consent.
Your choices
- When you first visit, you can accept all, reject all, or choose what to allow. Analytics and advertising are separate choices.
- You can change either choice any time using Cookie settings below. Rejecting a category deletes the cookies it set.
- You can also clear or block cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may stop you signing in.
Cookie settings
Choose what you allow. Essential cookies cannot be turned off, as the site cannot work without them.
Analytics
You have not made a choice about the optional analytics cookie yet.
Advertising
You have not made a choice about the Meta advertising pixel yet.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use cookies, we will update this page and, where the change is significant, ask for your consent again.
See also our Privacy Policy.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: info@signpostportal.com
Data controller: ABOB GROUP LTD trading as Signpost, company number 15156597, registered in England and Wales.
Registered office: 61 Charlotte Street, Birmingham, England, B3 1PX
Registration with the Information Commissioner's Office has been applied for. This page will show the registration number once it is issued.