1. What should a retention schedule contain?
10 July 2014
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2. Retention Schedule Disposal Schedule
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3. Disposal of Records
Disposal of records should be undertaken only in accordance with clearly established policies that:
Reflect the authority’s continuing need for access to the information or the potential value of the records for historical or other research;
Are based on consultation between records management staff, staff of the relevant business unit and, where appropriate, others such as legal advisers, archivists or external experts;
Have been formally adopted by the authority;
Are applied by properly authorised staff;
Take account of security and confidentiality needs
Lord Chancellors Code section 12.4
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4. Disposal Schedules
Disposal schedules should contain sufficient details about the records to enable the records to be easily identified and the disposal action applied to them on a routine and timely basis.
The amount of detail in disposal schedules will depend on the authority’s needs.
Disposal schedules should be arranged in the way that best meets the authority’s needs.
Lord Chancellors Code section 12.6
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5. Contents of a Disposal Schedule
Describe the records including any relevant reference numbers
Reference numbers can include
a file classification reference
a departmental reference
a record series number
Identify the function to which the records relate and the business unit for that function (if that is not clear)
Using service lists
Using classification scheme
Using organisational structures
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

6. One Hundred Acre Wood Council Retention Schedule
Function
Records Description
Reference Number
Finance
Accounting
Invoices and accounts payable
FN12
Facilities
Council Property
Work orders generated for repairs to County Hall
FM17
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

7. Contents of a Disposal Schedule
Specify the retention period including the trigger event
a retention period cannot be used without a trigger event
current financial year
closure
date of birth
date of death
last contact
last action
Specify what is to happen to them at the end of that period
Secure disposal
Transfer to archives
Destroy
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

8. One Hundred Acre Wood Council Retention Schedule
Function
Records Description
Reference Number
Retention Period
Action
Finance
Accounting
Invoices and accounts payable
FN12
Current financial year + 6 years
SECURE DISPOSAL
Facilities
Council Property
Work orders generated for repairs to County Hall
FM17
Date repairs completed + 6 years
DESTROY
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

9. Contents of a Disposal Schedule
Note the legal, regulatory or other reason for the disposal period and action
Statutory requirement
Best practice
Required by operational unit
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

10. One Hundred Acre Wood Council Retention Schedule
Function
Records Description
Reference Number
Retention Period
Action
Statutory Requirement
Finance
Accounting
Invoices and accounts payable
FN12
Current financial year + 6 years
SECURE DISPOSAL
HMRC - Compliance Handbook Manual CH15400
Facilities
Council Property
Work orders generated for repairs to County Hall
FM17
Date repairs completed + 6 years
DESTROY
Limitation Act 1980 Section 2
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

11. Contents of a Disposal Schedule
You might want to
Include a reference number for each entry
Link the retention period to an item in the information asset register
Include a protective marking column
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

12. One Hundred Acre Wood Council Retention Schedule
Ref
Function
Records Description
Reference Number
Retention Period
Action
Statutory Requirement
Protective Marking
Information Asset Register
FN1
Finance
Accounting
Invoices and accounts payable
FN12
Current financial year + 6 years
SECURE DISPOSAL
HMRC - Compliance Handbook Manual CH15400
NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED
IAR44.1
FM1
Facilities
Council Property
Work orders generated for repairs to County Hall
FM17
Date repairs completed + 6 years
DESTROY
Limitation Act 1980 Section 2
IAR45.1
local.gov.uk/lginformplus

13. Further Requirements
Disposal schedules should be kept up to date and amended if a statutory provision changes.
Consider keeping a copy of each version so the basis on which records were previously destroyed can be explained.
Make sure that the record retention schedule has been incorporated in the organisation’s risk mitigation strategy.
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14. local.gov.uk/lginformplus

15. local.gov.uk/lginformplus

16. local.gov.uk/lginformplus

17. Section 46 Workbook
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18. Section 46 Workbook
local.gov.uk/lginformplus