A Retention Schedule is a list of records that need to be kept by Eastbourne Borough Council for a specific length of time.
This schedule contains recommended retention periods for records created and maintained by the Council and refers to all information regardless of the media in which it is stored, such as manual files, photographs, computer files, tapes or microfiche.
The aim of the Retention Schedule is to provide a consistent approach to the way the Council handles its records and provide a clear set of guidelines to all staff, thereby supporting the Council’s Corporate Record Retention and Disposal Policy.
A Retention Schedule serves the purpose of identifying records that may be worth preserving permanently as a part of a local authority archive as well as preventing the premature destruction of records that need to be retained for a specific legal, financial or statutory period.
This Retention Schedule details the function of each record, the type of records that may fall within this function and the length of time the Council should hold the record before taking disposal or archive action. Many retention periods are determined by statute. Where available / appropriate the relevant legislation or statutory reason for keeping a record for a specific period of time has been included and the required disposal action once this document reaches the end of its ‘retention lifecycle’ has also been included. In conclusion good Records Management is not difficult; simply put, the Council needs to keep accurate and timely records for the appropriate period of time, making sure that obsolete records are securely disposed of in an appropriate manner.
