Retention Of Documents Policy

Clerk: Mrs Sarah Rimell

Address: Illogan Parish Council Community Office, Trevelyan Road, Illogan, TR16 4RG

Telephone: 01209 711433

Email: enquiries@illoganparishcouncil.gov.uk

Adopted: 09.04.2025
Minute Number: GR25/04/16.2

Introduction

Illogan Parish Council creates a wide range of records to fulfil its duties. Some of these are of long-term historical interest and should be preserved permanently after their administrative usefulness has been served. Many, however, should be disposed of after an appropriate time.

The guidelines included in this policy will help the Council to manage their records. In line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), records which contain personal data will be retained and disposed of in accordance with the Council’s Privacy Policy.

Explanation

Preserve – Records to be preserved permanently.

Records in this category, when no longer regularly consulted in the parish, should be stored safely with a view to depositing in the Cornwall Records Office.

Review – Records to be reviewed by the Cornwall Records Office for possible permanent preservation.

Records in this category should be passed to the Cornwall Records Office for review, either when the prescribed minimum retention period is over, or when they are no longer required in the parish for administrative purposes.

Destroy – Records that may be destroyed by the Council.

Many Parish Council records, mainly financial, may be safely disposed of by the Parish Clerk, usually after the minimum retention period prescribed for audit or other statutory purposes. Where no minimum period is given records in this category may be destroyed when they are no longer required in the parish council administrative purposes. These files will be reviewed every five years or when an office holder retires. All documents will be treated as confidential waste and shredded.

Schedule

Administration

Records	Action	Minimum Retention Period	Notes
Minutes of Council/meeting, signed series	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	5 years
Reports and other documents circulated with agendas	Review Destroy if copies are included with the signed minutes. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	5 years
Agendas	Preserve with copies of the minutes. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	5 years
Councillors’ declarations of office	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	Term of office + 7 years	Forward copies to the Monitoring Officer.
Register of Interests	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	Until cease to be a Councillor	Forward copies to the monitoring officer.
Grouping orders	Review Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Byelaws and orders	Preserve one copy of each. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Policy documents	Review Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement or the policy has been superseded.	Include Members’ information pack for future reference.
Title deeds	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Property registers and terriers including register of allotments	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Maps, plans and surveys of property owned by the council or meeting	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Correspondence and papers on important local issues or activities	Review Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	Consider the future social historic importance of documents.
Village/parish appraisals and plans	Review with a view to preserving. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Planning applications and related paperwork; and also planning appeal decisions	Review with the view to Destroying.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	These may be held by another authority, in which case Destroy. All planning applications will be retained in the office until the application has been approved or refused by Cornwall Council, they will then be destroyed. Planning applications that are withdrawn by the applicant will be retained for future reference if the application is re-submitted or amended and re-submitted.
Leases, agreements, contracts and wayleaves	Preserve/Review Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Quotations and tenders, successful	Destroy	7 years	Statute of Limitation
Quotations and tenders, unsuccessful	Destroy	2 years
Routine correspondence and papers	Review with the view to Destroy. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Scale of fees and charges	Destroy	Once replaced by new charges
Insurance policies and Risk assessments	Destroy	7 years after expired – unless asbestos involved then minimum 40 years.
Playground assessments	Destroy	21 years
Staff files	Destroy *Unless ill health retirement may be asbestos related. Then keep until the person is 100 years of age.	6 years after left employ unless through ill-health or industrial tribunal case, keep until person is 65.

Finance

Records	Action	Minimum Retention Period	Notes
Loan sanctions	Destroy	6 years after end of loan.	Statute of Limitation
Receipt and payment books	Preserve or Review	6 years for VAT purposes
Vouchers before 1950	Destroy	6 years	VAT
Financial returns to district auditors	Destroy, but Preserve if the receipt and payment books have not survived. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Cash and petty cash books and recent books	Destroy, but Preserve if the receipt and payments books have not survived.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Receipt books of all kinds	Destroy	6 years	VAT
Postage	Destroy	6 years	Tax, VAT, Statute of Limitation
Bank statements including deposit/saving accounts	Destroy	7 years	Audit
Bank paying-in books	Destroy	Last completed Audit year.	Audit
Cheque book stubs	Destroy	Last completed Audit year	Audit
Paid invoices	Destroy	6 years	VAT
Paid cheques	Destroy	6 years	Statute of Limitations
VAT records	Destroy	6 years	VAT
Time sheets	Destroy	Last completed Audit year	Audit
Wage books	Destroy	12 years	Statute of Limitations
Members’ allowances register	Destroy	6 years	Tax, Statute of Limitations
Records relating to parish halls, centres and recreation grounds, applications to hire, letting diaries, copies of bills to hirers and records of tickets issued	Destroy	6 years	VAT
Precept books and contribution orders	Destroy	6 years	VAT

Miscellaneous

Records	Action	Minimum Retention Period	Notes
Maps created under the provision of the Rights of Way Act 1932	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Community magazines newsletter	Preserve one copy of each issue. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	5 years
Press cuttings	Review Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	5 years	Web pages are not a permanent record.
Photographs	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Any records dating from before 1894 not held by the council, e.g. poor law records, surveyors of highways accounts, enclosure awards	Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Any records of the parish council dating to before 1920	Review Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Records of other bodies such as burial boards, charities, fire brigades, home guard, local societies, ad hoc committees	Preserve, but Review with view to Destroy. Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	Archives, Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977 (SI 204)
Reports, guides, handbooks etc, received by the council from other outside bodies	Review/Destroy Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office.	As soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.
Allotments Registers & Plans	Review and Preserve Store safely with a view to depositing with the Cornwall Records Office as soon as there is no longer an administrative requirement.	5 years	Management/Audit
Halls/Centres/Recs. – Hire forms, letting details, invoices, etc.	Destroy	6 years	VAT

Record of Review

Review Date	Reviewed By	Amendments	Minute Number

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Retention Of Documents Policy