Appendix A: List of Documents for Retention or Disposal
Document | Minimum Retention Period | Reason | Location Retained | Disposal |
Minutes | Indefinite | Archive | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | Original signed paper copies of Council minutes of meetings must be kept indefinitely in safe storage. At regular intervals of not more than 5 years they must be archived and deposited with the Higher Authority |
Agendas | 5 years | Management | Laptop | Bin (shred confidential waste) |
Accident/incident reports | 20 years | Potential claims | Village Hall | Confidential waste A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
Scales of fees and charges | 6 years | Management | Village Hall | Bin |
Receipt and payment accounts | Indefinite | Archive | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | N/A |
Receipt books of all kinds | 6 years | VAT | Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Bank statements including deposit/savings accounts | Last completed audit year | Audit | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Bank paying-in books | Last completed audit year | Audit | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Cheque book stubs | Last completed audit year | Audit | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Quotations and tenders | 6 years | Limitation Act 1980 (as amended) | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
Paid invoices | 6 years | VAT | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Paid cheques | 6 years | Limitation Act 1980 (as amended) | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
VAT records | 6 years generally but 20 years for VAT on rents | VAT | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Petty cash, postage and telephone books | 6 years | Tax, VAT, Limitation Act 1980 (as amended) | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Timesheets | Last completed audit year
3 years |
Audit (requirement)
Personal injury (best practice) |
Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Wages books/payroll | 12 years | Superannuation | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste |
Insurance policies | While valid (but see next two items below) | Management | Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Insurance company names and policy numbers | Indefinite | Management
|
Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | N/A |
Certificates for insurance against liability for employees | 40 years from date on which insurance commenced or was renewed | The Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998 (SI 2753)
Management |
Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Playground equipment inspection reports | 21 years | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | ||
Investments | Indefinite | Audit, Management | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | N/A |
Title deeds, leases, agreements, contracts | Indefinite | Audit, Management | Village Hall & Clerk’s Office | N/A |
Information from other bodies
e.g. circulars from county associations, NALC, principal authorities |
Retained for as long as it is useful and relevant | Clerk’s Office | Bin | |
Local/historical information | Indefinite – to be securely kept for benefit of the Parish | Councils may acquire records of local interest and accept gifts or records of general and local interest in order to promote the use for such records (defined as materials in written or other form setting out facts or events or otherwise recording information). | Village Hall | N/A |
Magazines and journals (Village Bulletin) | Council may wish to keep its own publications
For others retain for as long as they are useful and relevant. |
The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) *
|
Clerk’s Office | Bin if applicable |
*requires a local council which after 1st February 2004 has published works in print (this includes a pamphlet, magazine or newspaper, a map, plan, chart or table) to deliver, at its own expense, a copy of them to the British Library Board (which manages and controls the British Library). Printed works as defined by the 2003 Act published by a local council therefore constitute materials which the British Library holds | ||||
Record-keeping | ||||
To ensure records are easily accessible it is necessary to comply with the following:
|
The electronic files will be backed up periodically on a portable hard drive and also in the cloud-based programme supplied by the Council’s IT company. | Management | Clerk’s Office | Documentation no longer required will be disposed of, ensuring any confidential documents are destroyed as confidential waste.
A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
General correspondence
|
Unless it relates to specific categories outlined in the policy, correspondence, both paper and electronic, should be kept.
Records should be kept for as long as they are needed for reference or accountability purposes, to comply with regulatory requirements or to protect legal and other rights and interests. |
Management | Clerk’s Office | Bin (shred confidential waste)
A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
Correspondence relating to staff
|
If related to Audit, see relevant sections above.
Should be kept securely and personal data in relation to staff should not be kept for longer than is necessary for the purpose it was held. Likely time limits for tribunal claims between 3–6 months Recommend this period be for 3 years |
After an employment relationship has ended, a council may need to retain and access staff records for former staff for the purpose of giving references, payment of tax, national insurance contributions and pensions, and in respect of any related legal claims made against the council. | Clerk’s Office | Confidential waste
A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
Documents from legal matters, negligence and other torts
Most legal proceedings are governed by the Limitation Act 1980 (as amended). The 1980 Act provides that legal claims may not be commenced after a specified period. Where the limitation periods are longer than other periods specified the documentation should be kept for the longer period specified. Some types of legal proceedings may fall within two or more categories. If in doubt, keep for the longest of the three limitation periods. |
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Negligence | 6 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. | |
Defamation | 1 year | Village Hall | Confidential waste. A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. | |
Contract | 6 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. | |
Leases | 12 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. | |
Sums recoverable by statute | 6 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. | |
Personal injury | 3 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. | |
To recover land | 12 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. | |
Rent | 6 years | Village Hall | Confidential waste. | |
Breach of trust | None | Village Hall | Confidential waste. | |
Trust deeds | Indefinite | Village Hall | N/A | |
For Halls, Centres, Recreation Grounds | ||||
|
6 years | VAT | Village Hall | Confidential waste
A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
Lettings diaries | Electronic files linked to accounts | VAT | Village Hall | N/A |
Terms and Conditions | 6 years | Management | Village Hall | Bin |
Event Monitoring Forms | 6 years unless required for claims, insurance or legal purposes | Management | Village Hall | Bin. A list will be kept of those documents disposed of to meet the requirements of the GDPR regulations. |
For Allotments | ||||
Register and plans | Indefinite | Audit, Management | Clerk’s Office | N/A |
Other | ||||
Legal papers | Indefinite | Audit, Management | Clerk’s Office | N/A |
Trees | 1 year | Management | Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Local Development Plans | Retained as long as in force | Reference | Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Local Plans | Retained as long as in force | Reference | Clerk’s Office | Bin |
Town/Neighbourhood Plans | Indefinite – final adopted plans | Historical purposes | Clerk’s Office | N/A |
CCTV | ||||
Discs – master and working | For as long as required | Data protection | Confidential waste | |
Internal Operations Procedure Manual | Destroy on renewal
Review annually |
Management | Confidential waste |