The Corporate Retention Schedules are an active management document designed to reflect the record types used by the Council and are subject to continual monitoring and review. They promote greater control over the Council’s records, enabling Managers to dispose of records no longer needed, and ensuring the retention of appropriate records consistent with effective service delivery and the Council’s legal and regulatory obligations. The periods of retention for each type of record, the tools to manage the process of declaring a record and the disposal of it, together form an important part of the Council’s Information Architecture. The retention periods set out in the Corporate Retention Schedules must be followed by all Council Services, subject to the Disposal Authority Process set out in section 5.7 of this policy. 5.4 Setting the Corporate Retention Schedules’ Retention Periods In setting the retention periods for the Corporate Retention Schedules, the Council will consider the following factors. Legislation / Regulations     Is there any legislation or regulation affecting retention of the records? Is the type of information likely to be required for conducting legal proceedings in the event of legal action being taken by, or against the Council? Time limits for commencing litigation can be found in the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973. Identify any particular regulatory agencies or statutes that may govern the business process generating the records. Identify any past/anticipated issues facing the Council from a litigation, regulatory or compliance perspective. Operational / Business Need     How long are the records likely to be needed to carry out the Council’s functions? How long are the records required for evidential purposes in respect of business processes or decision making? How long do the records need to be kept for accountability/internal audit purposes? How serious would the consequences be if they were no longer available? Ownership of records  Are the records owned by the Council or are they being managed by the Council on behalf of another organisation? For example NHS records being processed as part of integrated Health and Social Care. Page 6 of 14