Depositing items into Lincolnshire Archives

There are no single statutory rules specifically prescribing how parish or town councils must archive documents, but there are a number of legal and best practice obligations that together set the framework. These derive from the Local Government Act, GDPR, Freedom of Information Act, and guidance from bodies like the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS).

🔒 Statutory and Legal Framework

Here are the key legal requirements and procedural responsibilities:

1. Data Protection Act 2018 / GDPR

• Personal data must not be kept longer than necessary for the purpose it was collected.

• Councils must have a Retention & Disposal Policy setting time limits for keeping records.

• You must securely dispose of personal data when it's no longer needed.

2. Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)

• Requires that councils maintain a Publication Scheme and keep records in a way that they are retrievable if requested.

• Good recordkeeping is essential for transparency.

3. Local Government Act 1972

• Section 226 requires councils to make proper arrangements for the custody of their records.

• Schedule 12 – minutes of meetings must be signed and retained indefinitely.

4. Public Records Act 1958 (for records of historical value)

• While parish councils are not named explicitly, in practice, records of local public interest are often deposited with local record offices under this guidance.

🗂️ Practical Archiving Procedures

✅ Best Practice Guidance (NALC & SLCC aligned)

(These are typical, but councils can adopt their own schedule in policy but signed minutes are always retained indefinitely.)

📥 Archiving Process Steps

1. Adopt a Document Retention & Disposal Policy

   • Should specify how long each type of document is retained and how it's disposed or archived.

   • Reviewed regularly.

   • Decisions made to archive or dispose of records should be recorded in the minutes.

2. Digital and Physical Storage

   • Use secure cloud or local systems for digital records (backed up regularly).

   • Store physical records in fireproof, pest-free environments.

3. Deposit with Lincolnshire County Archives

   • Historical or valuable records (e.g. old minute books, maps) should be offered to the local County Records Office. (see further advice from them below).

4. Disposal Process

   • Records must be disposed of securely (shredding/confidential waste for sensitive documents).

   • A log of disposed records should be kept.

📚 Resources & Templates

• NALC Advice Note 40: Retention of Documents

• SLCC or LALC may provide model policies.

• IRMS Toolkit for Local Government: https://irms.org.uk/page/ToolkitLG

Further Advice from Lincolnshire Archives
The records that we particularly value from Parish Councils are minute books, allotment and cemetery registers, and if they exist, older records that have been retained in parish council custody but date from prior to a council's formation (e.g. Parish Officer Account books, enclosure awards, tithe awards, etc). We would not normally archive general correspondence, planning applications, brochures, pamphlets, copies of records, and other records that are less than 30 years old, or any records that are likely to still need to be accessed by the council.

Yes, filling in the online form at:

Lincolnshire Archives – Donations - Lincolnshire County Council

 Is the procedure we now require. The form at that location needs to completed with as much detail as possible describing each record being offered with the dates of each, or a list can be uploaded to it.

As you can probably imagine, we do get a lot of offers so it can sometimes be some time before we respond, but we do respond to all offers. If the form is completed with as much detail as possible it does help us in providing each offer with a considered response.

I hope this information is useful.

Kind regards

Ged

Ged Payne 

Senior Collections Development Officer (PT)

Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Archives 

St Rumbold Street, Lincoln LN2 5AB