Retention schedule

Staffordshire County Council is required by the Lord Chancellor’s Code of Practice on the Management of Records issued under Section 46 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to have and to implement a records retention and disposal schedule.

Contents

Retention and disposal policies - Community safety

Animal health and welfare inspection and monitoring

  • Retention: Retain records 6 years after closure or change of use of site or SCC no longer responsible for function
  • Disposal: Destroy / Transfer to new authority
  • Authority: SCC business need
  • Scope: Animal health and welfare inspection and monitoring Excluding complaint investigation and enforcement, and registration and licensing

Civil emergency planning and response 

  • Retention: Retain records 3 years after date created
  • Disposal: Destroy
  • Authority: Based on a 3-year timescale in which an action can be brought in the case of personal injury or property damage under Limitation Act 1980 s.11
  • Scope: Emergency response planning, exercise planning and operation, incident response and recovery management, and review

Complaint investigation and enforcement

  • Retention: Retain records 10 years after resolution, end of enforcement action or sentence period
  • Disposal: Destroy
  • Authority: UK Police Information Management Standards / Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (section 23(1)) Code of Practice
  • Scope: Complaint investigation, investigation operations, intelligence gathering, formal notification and prosecution, property and sample seizure

Fair trading inspection and monitoring 

  • Retention: Retain records 6 years after closure or change of use of site or SCC no longer responsible for function
  • Disposal: Destroy / Transfer to new authority
  • Authority: Based on a 6-year timescale in which an action can be brought in the case of tort under Limitation Act 1980 s.2
  • Scope: Fair trading monitoring and inspection Excluding, complaint investigation and enforcement, and registration and licensing

Safety registration and licencing

  • Retention: Retain records 6 years after expiry or revocation of licence or registration
  • Disposal: Destroy
  • Authority: Based on a 6-year timescale in which an action can be brought in the case of a simple contract under Limitation Act 1980 s.5
  • Scope: Registration, licensing and safety certification of sites, sellers, animal movement licensing,  animal trainer and exhibitor licensing, public weighbridge operators, sports ground licensing

Sample and product testing

  • Retention: Retain records 6 years after date created
  • Disposal: Destroy
  • Authority: SCC business need based on maintaining records as contractual evidence based on Limitation Act 1980 s.5 or negligence under Limitation Act 1980 s.14A
  • Scope: Testing and analysis of samples and products Including sample receipt, handling and storage, testing and analysis, testing methodologies, reports, sample return or disposal