diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/actPage.spec.ts b/e2e/web/tests/actPage.spec.ts
index d178efa9b6f125f52aec27b2244f6172102ff6c8..21aada4cd3325300878e6e75652eca59c1fee65b 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/actPage.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/actPage.spec.ts
@@ -1,21 +1,12 @@
 import { type Page, expect } from '@playwright/test'
 
-import {
-  byTestId,
-  clickElementByTestId,
-  denyConsent,
-  donationsRequestTimeout,
-  volunteeringRequestTimeout,
-  withSSR,
-} from './helpers'
+import { byTestId, clickElementByTestId, donationsRequestTimeout, volunteeringRequestTimeout, withSSR } from './helpers'
 import { test } from './testmaster'
 
 test.describe('@ActPage', () => {
   test('user journey', async ({ page, browser }) => {
     await page.goto('/act')
 
-    await denyConsent(page)
-
     await testActPageContent(page)
     await withSSR(browser, page.url(), testActPageContent)
 
diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/helpers.ts b/e2e/web/tests/helpers.ts
index 480e3ba48824b167a9a3b2456ee8a22bb8269221..e00c536faf4adfa9c0835e02caccb3ec676afb47 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/helpers.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/helpers.ts
@@ -46,25 +46,12 @@ export const clickButtonByText = async (page: Page, buttonText: string): Promise
   await page.click(`button:has-text("${buttonText}")`)
 }
 
-export const dismissConsentDialog = (page: Page) => page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Decline all' }).click()
-
-export const denyConsent = async (page: Page) => {
-  // Store the denial in local storage
-  await page.evaluate(() => {
-    localStorage.setItem('HOLI_TRACKING_CONSENT', '{"ANALYTICS":"denied","PERSONALIZATION":"denied"}')
-  })
-  // Now reload the page - the consent logic will read what's in local storage and not show the dialog
-  await page.reload()
-}
-
 const prepareForLoginOrRegistration = async (context: BrowserContext, page: Page) => {
   await context.clearCookies()
 
   //Introduced exception handling if first attempt to hit the server does not succeed
 
   await gotoWithRetries(page, '/profile')
-
-  await denyConsent(page)
 }
 
 export const login = async (context: BrowserContext, page: Page, email: string, password: string): Promise<void> => {
@@ -129,16 +116,22 @@ const fillOutOnboarding = async (page: Page, userData: OnboardingUserData) => {
     await clickElementByTestId(page, userData.content)
   }
   await clickElementByTestId(page, 'onboarding-stepper-nav-buttons-next-btn')
-  // Handle location selection
-  await page.waitForSelector(byTestId('onboarding-location-selection'))
-  if (userData.location) {
-    const locationInput = await locateElementByTestId(page, 'onboarding-location-selection-autocomplete-input')
-    await locationInput.fill(userData.location.label)
-    const locationOption = `onboarding-location-selection-autocomplete-item-${userData.location.id}`
-    await page.waitForSelector(byTestId(locationOption))
-    await clickElementByTestId(page, locationOption)
+
+  if (isRunningLocally()) {
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Skip' }).click()
+  } else {
+    // Handle location selection
+    await page.waitForSelector(byTestId('onboarding-location-selection'))
+    if (userData.location) {
+      const locationInput = await locateElementByTestId(page, 'onboarding-location-selection-autocomplete-input')
+      await locationInput.fill(userData.location.label)
+      const locationOption = `onboarding-location-selection-autocomplete-item-${userData.location.id}`
+      await page.waitForSelector(byTestId(locationOption))
+      await clickElementByTestId(page, locationOption)
+    }
+    await clickElementByTestId(page, 'onboarding-stepper-nav-buttons-next-btn')
   }
-  await clickElementByTestId(page, 'onboarding-stepper-nav-buttons-next-btn')
+
   // Handle interests selection
   await page.waitForSelector(byTestId('onboarding-interests-selection'))
   for (const slug of userData.interests) {
@@ -223,8 +216,6 @@ export const proceedAsGuest = async (page: Page): Promise<void> => {
   //Introduced exception handling if first attempt to hit the server does not succeed
   await gotoWithRetries(page, '/')
 
-  await denyConsent(page)
-
   await skipOnboardingInitialSteps(page)
 
   await clickElementByTestId(page, 'onboarding-account-creation-btn-continue-as-guest')
@@ -389,7 +380,7 @@ export const retry = async (expectationFn: () => Promise<void>) => {
     await expectationFn()
   }).toPass({
     intervals: [3_000],
-    timeout: 20_000,
+    timeout: 30_000,
   })
 }
 
diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/donations.spec.ts b/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/donations.spec.ts
index 43199901c63f64ab6bc946bdda155b978d67b3cf..a45496c7e621716a00bb7b01db90d2ea394e2a43 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/donations.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/donations.spec.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import {
   checkAccessibility,
   clickElementByTestId,
   clickFirstElement,
-  denyConsent,
   donationsRequestTimeout,
   isRunningLocally,
   locateElementByTestId,
@@ -20,7 +19,6 @@ test.describe('@Donations', () => {
     test.skip(isRunningLocally(), 'These features have no local test data and can only be tested on staging.')
     // prepare
     await page.goto('/donations')
-    await denyConsent(page)
 
     await testProjectListAndPagination(page)
     await withSSR(browser, page.url(), testDisplaysProjectList)
diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/goodnews.spec.ts b/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/goodnews.spec.ts
index 1e5f52db24fe0cf5aad91e9d3005e0770236e50e..2da95cd956ac6c636ff6ed2cc9ad2419123b81d2 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/goodnews.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/goodnews.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { expect } from '@playwright/test'
 
-import { byTestId, checkAccessibility, denyConsent, isRunningLocally } from '../helpers'
+import { byTestId, checkAccessibility, isRunningLocally } from '../helpers'
 import { test } from '../testmaster'
 
 test.describe('@GoodNews', () => {
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ test.describe('@GoodNews', () => {
     test.skip(isRunningLocally(), 'These features have no local test data and can only be tested on staging.')
 
     await page.goto('/apps/goodnews')
-    await denyConsent(page)
 
     const firstArticle = page.locator(byTestId('goodnews-detailview-container')).first()
 
diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/volunteering.spec.ts b/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/volunteering.spec.ts
index 2bcc2032d75d1fee3915ea6ecee4c4a4583cd39c..09c871f9d2a5e093392438a23b94945c15f9641b 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/volunteering.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/needs-staging-test-data/volunteering.spec.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import {
   checkAccessibility,
   clickElementByTestId,
   clickFirstElement,
-  denyConsent,
   isRunningLocally,
   locateElementByTestId,
   volunteeringRequestTimeout,
@@ -19,7 +18,6 @@ test.describe('@Volunteering', () => {
 
     //prepare
     await page.goto('/volunteering')
-    await denyConsent(page)
 
     await testAllowsPagination(page)
     await withSSR(browser, page.url(), testDisplaysList)
diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/search.spec.ts b/e2e/web/tests/search.spec.ts
index 10be0c2390229dee98793cdad443b7f8a49259cd..d3c2c57379d609dfc8958cc81e8855188303f23d 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/search.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/search.spec.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
-import { byTestId, checkAccessibility, clickElementByTestId, denyConsent, locateElementByTestId } from './helpers'
+import { byTestId, checkAccessibility, clickElementByTestId, locateElementByTestId } from './helpers'
 import { test } from './testmaster'
 
 test.describe('@Search', () => {
   test('user journey', async ({ page }) => {
     await page.goto('/search')
 
-    await denyConsent(page)
-
     const oldSearch = await locateElementByTestId(page, 'search-content')
     const oldSearchVisible = await oldSearch.isVisible()
     if (oldSearchVisible) {
diff --git a/e2e/web/tests/testmaster.ts b/e2e/web/tests/testmaster.ts
index 74bcc6d1d173e2ba6c424a33fd4ef6ef808859dd..7ff59234028dbbc7bbab5ff36905d2f61d02fb07 100644
--- a/e2e/web/tests/testmaster.ts
+++ b/e2e/web/tests/testmaster.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { type Browser, type BrowserContext, type Page, test as baseTest } from '@playwright/test'
 
 import { OnboardingUserData } from '@holi/core/screens/onboarding/types'
-import { gotoWithRetries } from './helpers'
 import { withRandomUserSession } from './helpers'
 import {
   E2ETestSpaceResponse,
@@ -69,21 +68,7 @@ export class SessionHandler {
     this.signInContexts.push(context)
 
     const newPage = await context.newPage()
-    //Introduced exception handling if first attempt to hit the server does not succeed
-    try {
-      // First attempt to navigate normally
-      await newPage.goto('/')
-    } catch (error) {
-      if (error instanceof Error) {
-        console.error(`Initial navigation to '/' failed: ${error.message}`) // eslint-disable-line no-console
-      } else {
-        console.error("Initial navigation to '/' failed with an unknown error.") // eslint-disable-line no-console
-      }
-
-      // If the initial attempt fails, fall back to retry logic
-      await gotoWithRetries(newPage, '/')
-    }
-    //await denyConsent(newPage)
+    await newPage.goto('/')
 
     return {
       user,