EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL

Document Retention Policy

East Bergholt Parish Council’s policy is to retain electronic and paper documents as
long as necessary to meet legal requirements and where there is no legal
requirement, for as long as there is a good business reason to do so. The Council
complies strictly with the Data Protection Act 2018 in respect of the retention of
personal information.

DOCUMENT ELECTRONIC/PAPER LOCATION MINIMIUM
RETENTION
PERIOD
Administration
Agendas and
Minutes of Council
and Annual Parish
Meeting
E&P Electronic and
Minutes file
Indefinitely (inc.
Suffolk Record
Office)
Burial Grounds E&P Manual registers,
plans and other
records,
electronic
correspondence
Indefinitely
Contracts E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
6 years
Clerk’s and Staff
HR records
E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
2 years after
cessation of
employment
Correspondence E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Indefinitely
Declaration of
Office – Chairman
E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Term of office
plus 1 year
Declaration of
Office – Councillors
E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Term of office
plus 1 year
Election documents E Electronic 6 months after
election
Electoral Register E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Retain until
superseded
Emails E Electronic Indefinitely
Inspection reports –
ROSPA
E Electronic Retain until
superseded
Judicial Review
documents
E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Indefinitely
Leases E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Indefinitely

Legal documents E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
Indefinitely
Planning
applications and
responses
E LPA website LPA determine
(indefinitely)
Recruitment and
selection
E&P Electronic and
filing cabinet
6 months
Register of
Interests
E LPA website Indefinitely

Finance
Annual Return E&P Electronic and
Accounts file by
year
Indefinitely
Bank paying in
books & cheque
book stubs
P Accounts file by
year
2 years
Bank statements P Accounts file by
year
7 years
Budget forecasts E&P Electronic and
Accounts file by
year
3 years
Clerk’s expenses P Accounts file by
year
7 years
Fixed asset register E Electronic Retain until
superseded
Insurance policies E&P Electronic and
Insurance file

Paid invoices P Accounts file by
year
7 years
PAYE returns P Accounts file by
year
7 years
Tenders E&P Electronic and
contracts file
7 years
Receipt and
payment accounts
E&P Electronic and
Accounts file by
year
Indefinitely
Receipt books P Accounts file by
year
7 years
VAT records E&P Electronic and
Accounts file by
year
7 years