Document Storage Proposals
The objective of these proposals are to reduce the space currently used for the storage of council documentation, to ensure that information is stored in such a way that important documentation is unlikely to ever be lost, to ensure easy retrieval of documents and to set a date where the continued storage of that document will not be necessary.
Storage on Disc
All documents that can be stored on disc should be put onto a disc at the earliest opportunity. All discs must be duplicated with one copy being held in the home of the Clerk and one in the home of the Chairman. Discs to be updated every 2 months. Because of their small size discs will be stored indefinitely.
Files to be stored on disc.
Disc No 1
All letters sent out on behalf of the council by the clerk and all councillors. If a member of the council should send out a letter then they must send a copy to the clerk such that he/she can put it onto the disc. Letters will be stored in 3 sub-categories to indicate the recipient.
District and County Councils including the local councillors – Prefix C
Parishioners – Prefix P
Others – Prefix O
Letters will be stored under a heading like C090108CLStream Road.
C will be the above prefix. 090108 is the date (yymmdd). CL is the originator. Stream Road the subject. The storage system will then list all letters in the 3 recipient categories in chronological order.
If at the clerks discretion he/she wants all documents relating to one particular issue or department filed together in chronological order a second letter used only for that particular issue or department should be inserted immediately after the prefix.
Disc No 2
All emails sent out on behalf of the council by the clerk and all councillors. If a member of the council should send out an email that they think should be stored then they must send a copy to the clerk such that he/she can put it onto the disc. It would be unlikely that emails sent from one member to the other members would be worthy of long term disc storage. Emails will be stored in 4 sub-categories to indicate the recipient.
Parish Council Members including the clerk – Prefix M
District and County Councils including the local councillors – Prefix C
Parishioners – Prefix P
Others – Prefix O
Emails will be stored under headings similar to those used to store letters on Disc 1
Disc 3
All emails received by the Parish Council whether sent to a member or to the clerk that are considered worthy of long term disc storage. If a member of the council should receive an email that they think should be stored then they must send a copy to the clerk such that he/she can put it onto the disc. It would be unlikely that emails sent from one member to the other members would be worthy of long term disc storage. Emails will be stored in 4 sub-categories as on Disc 2 and storage headings will be the same only the initials of the recipient not the originator will be used.
Disc 4
Will contain all copies of the minutes and agendas for all routine and extraordinary meetings.
All agendas will be included back to 1st January 2007 and all minutes will be included back to 1st Jan 2004. (These dates have been set as I have electronic copies of all minutes and agendas back to those dates, if anyone is in a position to scan all previous minutes back as far as we have them it would be great to have them safely stored)
Disc 5
Will contain the Parish Council’s own documentation including Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, Member’s Register, List of documentation held, Council Reports etc.
Disc 6
Will be the Planning Application Register that will include the application number, the applicant, location, date, council’s comments and the outcome. The register will go back to 1st January 2007. (if I have a spare day I may go back further using the existing register)
Disc 7
Will contain copies of all the councils internal finance documents including purchases, receipts, budgetary estimates and reserves for each year going back to 2007-08.
For ease of storage discs 5,6 and 7 may be separately stored on the same disc making a total of 5×2 actual discs in use.
Storage of Hard Copy Material
It is not practical to routinely scan incoming letters and documents and store them on disc and therefore we must have a logical filing system held at the home of the clerk. Because it is to be held in a home it is essential that it is no more than a 4 file storage boxes (available at £10 each) with a sensible policy in place for the destruction of old documents.
Files by Subject
File No 1 – Planning Applications
All documents including drawings should be filed in a separate file for each application and filed in order of the date received. Each individual file should be retained for 3 years from the date of the District Council’s decision or longer as decided by the council member responsible for planning.
File No 2 – Finance
This file should contain copies of all finance documents not stored on disc and have sub-files dealing with
Annual Audit
Loans
Invoices
VAT Refunds
Requests to the Parish Council for funding.
Requests by the Parish Council for funding including the annual precept.
Each individual file should be retained for 5 years unless like the present loan it is an ongoing situation.
File No 3 – Training
This file should contain all invitations to seminars and courses that could be used to improve the knowledge of members or the clerk. Details of courses, seminars and lectures where a member of the council has attended should be kept separately and should have attached to them a short note from the attendee on the usefulness of the course.
Details of courses etc that have been attended should be kept for 3 years, all other details may at the discretion of the clerk be destroyed immediately after the date of the event.
File No 4 – Assets
Details of all the council’s assets must be retained as long as the relevant piece of equipment remains an asset. A sub-file must be kept for each individual asset and must include quotations, guarantees, invoices, and user instructions.
ROSPA reports should also be kept in this file.
File No 5 – Advertising Literature
It is accepted that the council receives its share of advertising literature and where that gives current information on subjects like play equipment it can be useful to have to hand. The clerk should look at all literature coming in and immediately bin the majority using his/her judgement to decide what information to circulate and retain.
As a generally rule useful information should be retained until it is superseded but at any time the clerk may have a purge as it only needs an email to obtain the latest information.
File No 6 – Bulletins and Journals
The council receives regular bulletins/journals from several sources including ‘Updates’ from the OALC and the Playing Fields Journal. Each document will be circulated and a retention period agreed for each title depending upon their usefulness.
Files by Source
File 7 – District Council including local councillor.
This file will contain all documentation from the District Council that does not fit into one of the subject files and will be filed under the heading of the department that has sent it out. Sub files may be set up within the department files to deal with any major conflicts/projects such that all documents relating to that subject are easily located. Documents will be retained for a period of 3 years unless the clerk/chairman decide they should be discarded earlier or retained for longer.
File 8 – County Council including local councillor
This file will contain all documentation from the County Council that does not fit into one of the subject files and will be filed under the heading of the department that has sent it out. Sub files may be set up within the department files to deal with any major conflicts/projects such that all documents relating to that subject are easily located. Documents will be retained for a period of 3 years unless the clerk/chairman decide they should be discarded earlier or retained for longer.
File 9 – Parishioner’s Correspondence
This file will contain all documentation from parishioners that does not fit into one of the subject files and will be filed by the name of the parishioner that has sent it. Documents will be retained for a period of 3 years unless the clerk/chairman decide they should be retained for longer.
File 10 – ORCC Correspondence
This file will contain all letters and hard copy documents sent to the council by ORCC that does not fit into one of the subject files. Documents will be retained for a period of 3 years unless the clerk/chairman decide they should be retained for longer.
File 11 – OALC Correspondence
This file will contain all letters and hard copy documents sent to the council by OALC that does not fit into one of the subject files. Documents will be retained for a period of 3 years unless the clerk/chairman decide they should be retained for longer.
File 12 – Other Documentation
This file will contain all letters and hard copy documents sent to the council from a source not listed above and that does not fit into one of the subject files. Documents will be retained for a period of 3 years unless the clerk/chairman decide they should be retained for longer.
Clare Lightfoot & Mike Brown
14th Jan 2009
