5. Policy Statement The Council will ensure that records and information are not kept for longer than is necessary to carry out its statutory functions, service provision and community obligations, whilst having due regard for legislative and evidential requirements. 5.1 Definition of a Record The Records Management Policy sets out the Council’s agreed definition of a record: “Information created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organisation or person, in pursuance of legal obligations, or in the transaction of business”. (The international Records Management Standard ISO 15489-1:2001) The Council recognises this as its definition of a record and that information includes all formats, whether paper or electronic e.g. hand written notes, letters, word documents, spreadsheets, scanned images, photographs, audio, emails, etc. 5.2 Records Management Processes and Record Keeping Systems The Council’s Records Management Policy sets a range of council commitments in relation to its records management processes and record keeping systems. The following commitments are particularly relevant to the Records Retention and Disposal Policy:  deliver consistency in the management of records across the Council;  ensure records keeping systems comply with the Council’s Business Continuity Plan by identifying and preserving its vital records;  ensure the Council’s Retention Schedules and Disposal Authority processes are observed to ensure records are retained for the appropriate and agreed period of time;  ensure records with long-term historical value are transferred to the custody of the Highland Archive Service for permanent preservation;  ensure compliance with legal, audit and operational requirements affecting the retention of records, including the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act and Environmental Information Regulations. 5.3 Corporate Retention Schedules A corporate retention schedule is the mechanism to ensure the Council is maintaining necessary records for the appropriate length of time. It determines the length of time records are required to be kept and provides the authority for disposal. Page 5 of 14