Policy paper

Records Management Policy

Published 12 April 2024

1. Purpose

Records are a valuable corporate asset. They belong to the organisation and not to any individual or group. We need reliable, complete, and retrievable records to help us function effectively.

Good records management helps us to:

• meet the requirements of legislation such as the Public Records Act, Freedom of Information Act, UK GDPR,

• meet our objectives and demonstrate effective use of resources,

• form our corporate memory,

• produce reliable evidence for court cases, reviews, audits, inquiries and other investigations,

• demonstrate financial, contractual and ethical probity,

• leave an historical account of our work.

The purpose of this policy is to set out the principles of records management that are to be adhered to within GBN.

2. Scope

This policy applies to GBN employees including Executive & Non-Executive Directors.

We are all responsible for keeping good records. Individuals who create or receive a record, are responsible for putting it into a shared system.

3. Policy details

3.1. What records should we keep?

Any information concerning the core business of the organisation, or that has a continuing value, should be retained as a record.

Typically, records will be: contract documents, minutes and agendas of important meetings, letters, emails, reports that contribute to decision making and activity in pursuit of business objectives.

Information with a short life span or that is a duplicate should be destroyed as soon as no longer required e.g. meeting invitations.

3.2. Do we need to keep every version?

Keeping multiple versions is only applicable in certain cases. It depends on the nature of the document and whether any significant amendments
were made to each version to warrant retaining it.

If multiple versions of a document do need to be retained, they should be saved as separate documents, and the title should clearly show that is a new or separate version.

3.3. Where should we store records?

All non-personal records should be created in or transferred into shared systems, do not store records in OneDrive or Outlook. They should be saved as early as possible, so that they are immediately made available to share as appropriate. Do not wait until the issue under consideration is agreed/final/resolved.

Retention periods will automatically be applied to records added to SharePoint or Teams depending on where they are stored and their record type. See “Retention Schedule” for further information on retention of records.

3.4. Email

Emails often provide significant evidence of actions and decisions. However, this does not mean you should retain every email ever sent or received. Best practice requires a continuous process of reviewing and weeding. Your email is not accessible to other staff, so you must not keep important records in Outlook. Transfer emails required as evidence of business activities to shared systems (e.g. SharePoint or Teams) as soon as possible. Delete emails that are not required.

Deleted emails will be permanently deleted after 28 days.

3.5. Legal requirements for records management

GBN is required to meet the following legal requirements:

• Section 46 Code of Practice - Freedom of Information Act 2000

• Regulation (4)(b) - Environmental Information Regulations 2004

• UK GDPR requires us to keep personal information for no longer than is necessary.

• Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967 - places a legal requirement on public bodies to ensure that material of historical significance is identified and transferred to the National Archives (TNA).

Signed by

Name	Gwen Parry-Jones
Position	CEO
Signature