How long we keep records

Type of Record  
Mental Health Destroy 10 years after last contact or death
Safeguarding - Barred Cases Destroy 3 years after death or 80 years after final entry on record - whichever is the earliest
Safeguarding - Non-barred Cases - High Priority Destroy 30 years after final action on case
Safeguarding - Non-barred Cases - Medium Priority Destroy 20 years after final action on case.
Safeguarding - Non-barred Cases - Low Priority (Level 3) Destroy 10 years after final action on case
Safeguarding - Non-barred Cases - Low Priority (Level 2) Destroy 5 years after final action on case.
Safeguarding - Non-barred Cases - Low Priority (Level 1) Destroy 3 years after final action on case
Safeguarding - service users Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Day service provision Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Learning disability Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Physical disabilities Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Sensory disability Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Rehabilitation and discharge Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Occupational therapy Destroy 6 years after last contact or death
Domiciliary Care Destroy 3 years after last contact or death
Substance Misuse Destroy 10 years after last contact or death
Provision of services Destroy 7 years after last contact or death 
Residential Homes - registers Permanent. Offer to County Archives Service
Residential Homes - diaries Destroy 25 years after end of year
Residential Homes – handover notes Destroy 25 years after end of year
Residential Homes – Staff Rota Destroy 25 years after end of year
Residential Homes – Staff Files Destroy 6 years after termination
Timesheets Destroy 6 years after end of year
Deputyships Destroy in accordance with category of service user e.g. Mental Health – Destroy 10 years after death or last contact
Finance - Fairer Charging, Collections Destroy 6 years after last action
Blue Badge Licences Destroy 2 years after issue
European Objective 1 and Interreg grant-funded Project Grants For the 2000-2006 Programme, WEFO have confirmed 30th September 2017 as the latest retention date for these projects. 

European Convergence & Interreg  grant -funded Project Files 2007-13
For the 2007-2013 Programme, the earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2024
Rural Development Plan (RDP) grant-funded Project Files - 2007-13 programme The earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2024
Rural Development Plan (RDP) grant-funded Project Files 2014-2020 programme The earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2030
European Structural Investment Fund Programmes 2014-2020  The earliest for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is at least 3 years following closure of project. Retention date will be project specific as per approval letter/SLAs where Authority is not the lead beneficiary
Type of record Retention periods
Additional Learning Needs Destroy  21  years from closure
Adoption: Children’s Files Destroy 100 years from adoption
Adoption: Adoptive Parents’ Files Destroy 100 years from adoption
Adoption: Non approved prospective adopters Destroy 10 years from closure
Children's Employment Permits Destroy 12 years after expiry of permit
Child in Need Destroy 10 years from closure
Educational and Child Psychology Destroy 35 years from closure
Education Welfare Destroy  21  years from closure
Fostering: Children’s Files Destroy 75 years from 18th birthday
Fostering: Carers' Files Destroy 35 years after last contact or death
Fostering: Non approved prospective foster carers Destroy 10 years from closure
Learning Disabilities Destroy 10 years from closure
Transfer to Adult team if 18th birthday falls within retention period
Looked After Destroy 75 years from 18th birthday
Physical Disabilities

Destroy 10 years from closure
Safeguarding Destroy 35 years from closure
Residential Homes (Looked After) Permanent
Offer to County Archives Service 35 years from closure
Residential Homes (Respite): Children's Files Destroy 75 years from 18th birthday
Residential Homes (Respite)
Homes' files e.g. Rotas, Handover
Destroy 35  years from closure
Training
Only if employee worked with children.
Destroy 25 years after termination of employee
Youth Offending and Prevention Destroy 25 years from date of birth
Staff Supervision Notes Destroy 25 years from termination of employment
Type of record Retention periods
Emergency/Disaster plan Permanent. Offer to County Archive Service
Test results for emergency/disaster plan Destroy 10 years after closure
Major incidents, all activities whether emergency plan has been invoked or not Permanent. Offer to County Archive Service
Minor incidents Destroy 10 years after closure
Type of record Retention periods
Maintenance of council property - Manuals Review 7 years after last action
Maintenance of council property - School building files Review every 7 years
Maintenance of council property - Maintenance Review - 7 years after last action (Life of ownership plus 15 years)
Maintenance of council property - Case files Review - 7 years after last action (Life of ownership plus 15 years)
Maintenance of council property - Refurbishment tenders and contracts Review - 7 years after conclusion of transaction
Maintenance of council property - Responsive maintenance case files Review - 7 years after last action (Life of ownership plus 15 years)
Property acquisition and disposal - Disposals and Acquisitions  Review - 12 years after all obligations/entitlements concluded
Property acquisition and disposal - Disposals - Sale or write-off of property.  Review - 15 years after obligations or entitlements are concluded - Offer material re major/significant properties to Archivist for review.
Leasing and Occupancy -Lease, valuation queries, applications Review 15 years after the expiry of the lease
Leasing and Occupancy -Requests for works, cleaning etc Review 7 years after the conclusion of the transaction that the record supports
Housing Provision - Stock monitoring records Review 4 years after last action
Review of Assets Status - Inventories, stocktaking, surveys of usage Review 5 years after administrative use is concluded
Asbestos Monitoring Review 40 Years from last action 
Type of record Retention periods
Draft minutes Destroy after date of confirmation of the minutes
County Council Minutes Permanent 
Partnership, Agency and External Meetings Permanent 
Partnership, Agency and External Meetings Destroy 3 years after last action
Political Parties Papers Destroy 3 years after last action
Declaration of Interests  Destroy 1 year after ceasing to be an elected member
Details of the public who attend and speak at Council meetings Destroy 3 months after meeting
Enquiries made though Councillor enquiry system Destroy 6 years after receipt of enquiry
Elected members and co-opted representatives' details Destroy 6 years after ceasing to be an elected or co-opted member 
Complaints Destroy 6 years after last action
Type of record Retention periods
Sustainable Development Until superseded or revoked
Strategy Until superseded then consider if important enough to archive
Regional Development Drafts to be destroyed on approval of plan
Community Development Permanent. Offer to County Archive Service
Marketing Voluntary Sector Development Until superseded
Business Development – Business Associations Destroy after 7 years
Business development – unsuccessful projects Destroy after 5 years
European Objective 1 and Interreg grant-funded Project Grants For the 2000-2006 Programme, WEFO have confirmed 30th September 2017 as the latest retention date for these projects. 
European Convergence & Interreg  grant -funded Project Files 2007-13 For the 2007-2013 Programme, the earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2024
Rural Development Plan (RDP) grant-funded Project Files - 2007-13 programme The earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2024
Rural Development Plan (RDP) grant-funded Project Files 2014-2020 programme The earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2030
European Structural Investment Fund Programmes 2014-2020  The earliest for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is at least 3 years following closure of project. Retention date will be project specific as per approval letter/SLAs where Authority is not the lead beneficiary
Type of record Retention periods
Additional Learning Needs Destroy  35  years from closure
Educational and Child Psychology Destroy 35 years from closure
Education Welfare Destroy  21  years from closure
School Base Counselling Destroy 25 years from Date of Birth
Child Performance & Child Work permit applications Destroy 2 years after entitlement lapses
Free School Meals Destroy 6 years from closure
School Meal Payments Destroy 3 years from closure
School Admissions Destroy 3 years from admittance
School Uniform Grant Destroy 6 years from closure
Pupil Development Grant Destroy 6 years from closure
Provision of School Transport Destroy 6 years after school/college transport ceases
Adult Education Destroy 6 years from closure - seek authorisation from WG if project/programme is funded by WG
All other records

Information Management Toolkit for Schools (.pdf) Opens in a new tab

Type of record Retention periods
Summary certification of those eligible to vote Permanent. Offer to County Archive Service
Voting - Local elections only Destroy 6 months from close of poll
Voting - All national elections such as Referendums, Parliamentary and National Assembly Destroy 6 months from close of poll
Results – Declaration of results Destroy 6 months from date of election
Election Expenses –Local, National and Referendum elections Destroy 24 months from date of election
Election Expenses – Community Destroy 12 months from date of election
Postal Vote Applications Destroy when cancelled down by Elector or deceased
House Enquiry Forms Scanned into system and destroyed post 1 Dec of each year when new register comes into force
Individual Electoral Registration Forms, including Anonymous registration forms, oversee elector forms, Declaration of Local connection Scanned into system and destroyed once elector's registration has successfully been processed
Nomination Papers Destroy 12 months from date of election
Type of record Retention periods
Pensions Destroy 6 years from date of last pension payment
Reporting Permanent - Offer to County Archive Service
Reporting Destroy when administrative use is concluded
Reporting Destroy - Minimum of 3 years from date of last entry
Reporting Destroy - Minimum of 3 years from date of last entry
Maintaining assets Destroy - 7 years after last action
Loan Register Permanent - Offer to County Archive Service
Borrowing Destroy 7 years after the loan has been repaid
Budget Destroy 2 years after administrative use is concluded
Budget - Annual Permanent - Offer to County Archive Service
Budget - Drafts and Estimates Destroy 2 years after budget is adopted
Capital monitoring Destroy 6 years from EOY
Funding Bids Destroy 7 years from EOY
Rail Warrants Destroy 6 years from EOY
Bank and Credit Card Statements Destroy 6 years from EOY
Petty Cash Claims Destroy 3 years
Purchase Orders and payments Destroy 6 years after the conclusion of the transaction
Receipts Destroy 6 years
Sub-contractor payments Destroy 6 years
Delivery Notes Destroy 2 years from EOY

Creditor Revenue Invoices: Centrally processed Opens in a new tab

Destroy 3 years from EOY
Creditor Revenue Invoices: Processing devolved to services areas Destroy 6 years from EOY
Capital Invoices Destroy 6 years from EOY
Cheque Requests Destroy 3 years from EOY
BACS Controls Totals Destroy 2 years from EOY
Statements - phones Destroy 2 years from EOY
Statements - postal remittance Destroy 3 years from EOY
Internal recharging Destroy 3 years from EOY
Income Monitoring Destroy 3 years from EOY
NI Notification and input records Destroy 2 years from termination of employee
Council Tax Property Valuations Permanent - Offer to County Archive Service
Council Tax and Business Rates Property Correspondence Destroy 7 years from EOY
Housing Benefits Destroy 7 years from the end of the year eligibility ceases.
VAT Receipt Book Destroy 6 years from EOY
Car & Telephone Allowance Returns to I.R. Destroy 6 years from EOY
Mileage Claims Destroy 3 years from EOY
Payroll Destroy 7 years from EOY
Summary pay reports Destroy after administrative use is concluded
Mortgages Destroy 6 years after last payment
Right to Buy Destroy 12 years after sale of house 
Rent Payments Destroy 7 years from EOY
Home Improvement Grants Destroy 6 years after last payment for grants under £50 000, For grants over £50 000 destroy 12 years after last payment
Asset Register Permanent - Offer to County Archive Service
Subsidiary asset registers Destroy 7 years after the conclusion of the transaction
Review of Assets Status Destroy 5 years after administrative use is concluded
Stores Tickets Destroy 3 years after administrative use is concluded
Maintaining Assets Destroy 7 years after last action
Maintaining Plant and Equipment Destroy 7 years after sale or disposal
Asset Acquisition and Disposal Destroy 6 years, if under £50 000 or 12 years if over £50 000, after all obligations/entitlements are concluded
Insurance policies and Correspondence Destroy 12 years after the terms of the policy have expired
Insurance renewal Destroy 5 years after the insurance policy has been renewed
Insurance Claims Destroy 7 years after all obligations/entitlements are concluded (allowing for the claimant to reach 25 years of age
European Objective 1 and Interreg grant-funded Project Grants For the 2000-2006 Programme, WEFO have confirmed 30th September 2017 as the latest retention date for these projects. 
European Convergence & Interreg  grant -funded Project Files 2007-13 For the 2007-2013 Programme, the earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2024
Rural Development Plan (RDP) grant-funded Project Files - 2007-13 programme The earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2024
Rural Development Plan (RDP) grant-funded Project Files 2014-2020 programme The earliest, for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is December 2030
European Structural Investment Fund Programmes 2014-2020  The earliest for each and every project, the original documentation can be destroyed is at least 3 years following closure of project. Retention date will be project specific as per approval letter/SLAs where Authority is not the lead beneficiary
Type of record Retention periods
Ensuring health of staff - Health questionnaires,recommendations, restrictions Destroy 75 years after DOB
Eye Testing for Display screen Destroy 3 years after test
Equipment inspection  Destroy 6 Years from destruction of the equipment
General Monitoring Destroy 3 Years from last action
Asbestos Monitoring Destroy 40 Years from last action 
Radon Monitoring Destroy 50 Years from last action or at age 75 years whichever is the greater
Ensuring safe systems of work  Retain until superseded or process ceases +1 year
Risk assessment Destroy 3 Years from last assessment
Accident books and reports - Adults Destroy 5 Years from closure
Accident books and reports - Children Destroy 25 Years from closure
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