Records management

Find out how we manage our records.

South Ayrshire Council is required under The Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, Section 53 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and in terms of the Code of Practice on Records Management issued under Section 61 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to make proper arrangements for the preservation and management of its records.

To ensure that records are managed effectively, the Council has adopted a Records Management Policy Framework as part of its records management program which provides an overarching framework for Council Records Management policies, practices or guidelines to ensure all Council records are accurate, reliable, secure, managed and disposed of appropriately to meet its statutory, regulatory, administrative and accountability requirements.

This Policy relates to all areas of record keeping, including record creation, tracking, storage, retrieval, retention periods and disposal. This Policy details the Council's commitment to ensuring that records are accurate and reliable, can be retrieved easily and are kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary. View a copy of this policy (PDF) [301KB] .

To meet the Council's Records Management requirements, Council Directorates manage and retain records in accordance with the Council's Corporate Records Management Retention Schedule. This Retention Schedule is a live document and subject to amendment and change to meet service and legislative requirements. The Council has adopted the Scottish Council on Archives Records Retention Schedule Model (SCARRS). Further information on SCARRS can be found at www.scottisharchives.org.uk/resources/scarrs.

View the Council's current records retention schedule (PDF) [1MB] .

For further information on Records Management and the Council's Records Management Policy, please contact Corporate Records Management at:

Corporate Records Management
Information Governance
South Ayrshire Council
County Buildings
Wellington Square
AYR, KA7 1DR
Tel: 01292 612383
Email: records.management@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

Council records of historical interest that have been identified for permanent preservation have been transferred to the custody of the Council's Archives.

A copy of our Records Management Plan and the Keepers Assessment Report can be viewed by clicking the links below. Additionally, a Progress Review Update Report was carried out by the National Records of Scotland in May 2021. This Report provides the Keepers comments on the Council's continued progress in the management of our records. This Report is also found below. Further information on the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 and Records Management in Scotland can be found on The Keeper of the Records of Scotland website.

Records Management Plan

The Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 requires named public authorities, including South Ayrshire Council, to submit a Records Management Plan to be agreed by The Keeper of the Records of Scotland.

To assist all named public authorities, The Keeper has developed and published a Model Records Management Plan which we have adopted and forms the basis of our Records Management Plan. Our plan was approved by The Keeper on 1st September 2017, and sets out how South Ayrshire Council manages the records it holds across all Council Services and how it will manage and develop those records in the future.

Our Records Management Plan has been agreed on an 'improvement model basis' which means that to be fully compliant with the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 we will over the next few years continue to develop and improve our existing records management practices and introduce new procedures in accordance with The Keepers recommendations.

A copy of our Records Management Plan and the Keepers Assessment Report can be viewed by clicking the links below. Further information on the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 and Records Management in Scotland can be found on The Keeper of the Records of Scotland website.

Copyright

South Ayrshire Council owns the copyright in the information contained in this publication scheme unless otherwise stated. The information can be copied or reproduced (but not re-used - see below) without formal permission, provided it is copied or reproduced accurately, is not used in a misleading context and provided that the source of the material is identified and the copyright status acknowledged. The reproduction of the information for commercial purposes is prohibited.

The publication scheme may however contain information where the copyright holder is not South Ayrshire Council. In most cases the copyright holder will be obvious from the documents. In cases where the copyright is unclear, however, it is the responsibility of the person accessing the information to locate and seek the permission of the copyright holder before reproducing the material or in any other way breaching the rights of the copyright holder.

Copyright works made by central government qualify for Crown copyright protection administered by the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). Various categories of Crown copyright material can be reproduced without a formal licence. Information about Crown copyright material is available on the website of the Queens Printer for Scotland at: www.legislation.gov.uk

Re-use of Public Sector Information

Access to the information does not mean that copyright has been waived, nor does it give the recipient the right to re-use the information for a commercial purpose.

If you intend to re-use information obtained from the scheme, and you are unsure whether you have the right to do so, you are advised to make a request to South Ayrshire Council to re-use the information. Your request will be considered under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 (RPSIs) for which a charge may be imposed. In the event that a charge is payable, you will be advised what this is and how it has been calculated.

Further information on the Council's adoption of the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations can be found at The Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.