Decision
Analysis
outcome: Recommendations were approved.
summary: The decision at stake is the approval of proposed revisions to the Council's Records Management Policy and Retention Schedule to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and improve information governance.
topline: The Mayor has decided to approve revisions to the Council's Records Management Policy and Retention Schedule to enhance information governance.
reason_contentious: This issue is not contentious as it primarily focuses on internal policies and procedures to improve information management.
affected_stakeholders: ["Council staff", "Information governance professionals"]
contentiousness_score: 1
political_party_relevance: There are no mentions or implications of political parties or political influence on the decision.
URL: https://moderngov.middlesbrough.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=436
Decision Maker: Executive Member - The Mayor
Outcome: Recommendations Approved
Is Key Decision?: No
Is Callable In?: Yes
Purpose: The report presented and sought approval of the proposed revisions to the Councilâs Records Management Policy and Retention Schedule following their schedulesâ triennial review, in order to ensure the Councilâs continued compliance with the statutory Code of Practice on the management of records which sat within the Councilâs Information Governance Policy Framework. Framework.
Content: The report presented and sought approval of the proposed revisions to the Councilâs Records Management Policy and Retention Schedule following their schedulesâ triennial review, in order to ensure the Councilâs continued compliance with the statutory Code of Practice on the management of records which sat within the Councilâs Information Governance Policy Framework. Framework. The Mayor considered a report regarding the Records Management Policy. The report presented and sought approval of the proposed revisions to the Councilâs Records Management Policy and Retention Schedule following their schedulesâ triennial review, in order to ensure the Councilâs continued compliance with the statutory Code of Practice on the management of records which sat within the Councilâs Information Governance Policy Framework. The report provided the rules and guidance necessary to appropriately safeguard the Councilâs corporate information to ensure it was secure, complete, managed effectively and appropriately accessible. The decision required Single Member Executive approval as it was a âminor variation to an existing policy or procedureâ, as per Section 6.38.2(a) of the constitution. The increasing reliance on electronic records, with more information being created and received digitally, had added a new dimension to the challenges that Middlesborough Council faced. The growth of digital technology had provided different ways for the Council to communicate and share information, which made information and records management even more complex. The Council was in the process of implementing a new corporate storage platform which would ensure structure, consistency and security for its records. Its policy and retention schedules would determine how the Councilâs information was structured, and how long information was held for in line with retention legislation. The policy would underpin and ensure that: where and when required, authoritative information about past activities could be found and used for current business (corporate memory); the Council could demonstrate compliance with its legal duties and respond to public information requests more efficiently; the Council would become more transparent by proactively and routinely publishing data of public interest; and the Council achieved a more effective use of resources, through the ongoing digitisation of records and the correct implementation of the Corporate Records Retention Schedule. Furthermore, effective records management would also help the Council mitigate the following risks: loss of records vital to effective operations; taking poor decisions based on inadequate or incomplete records; failure to handle personal or confidential information with the required level of security; criticisms or sanctions from the Information Commissioner for non-compliance; and financial losses due to the lack of reliable evidence or incurring unnecessary costs for date storage. The policy and schedule were reviewed every three years unless there were changes to legislation in the intervening period that would require an earlier review. OPTIONS The Council could choose not to adopt corporate policies on records management, however statutory duties would remain in place and in the absence of a standard approach there would be an increased risk of making decisions that failed to meet those legal duties. Given these duties were in place, this option was not recommended. ORDERED that the Records Management Policy and Corporate Retention Schedule Refresh be approved. REASONS Consideration of policy was required to ensure compliance with the Councilâs statutory responsibilities, which would ensure the right information would be available to the right users, at any time, accessible and used ethically to support achievement of the Council Plan Ambitions. Managing Records effectively would support delivery of the Councilâs emerging Digital Strategy.
Date of Decision: July 17, 2025