Records Management Service
The Records Management Service exists to assist Lancashire County Council in carrying out its statutory obligations in relation to the care and administration of its records. The service provides confidential, high-density storage; rapid and accurate retrieval of information; and a systematic approach to the effective management of both electronic and paper records from creation through to scheduled disposal or selection for permanent preservation. The service is available to all sections of Lancashire County Council.
Although run by and based at the Lancashire Record Office, this essential support service for Lancashire County Council is not directly linked to the publicly available facilities of the Archive Service. The Records Management Team does, however, ensure that the records created by Lancashire County Council - that have historic value - can become the archives of tomorrow.
About the service
The Records Management Service ensures there is effective control of Lancashire County Council's information resources whether they are administrative, fiscal or legal records. These records form part of our corporate memory and are seen as valuable information assets.
The Records Management Service is about providing the right information to the right person at the right time.
Within the Records Management Service we are moving towards the management of electronic and paper records in one hybrid system and therefore working towards reducing the duplication of information within Lancashire County Council.
Service aims and objectives
Aims
- Under section 224 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Records Management Service aims to provide an efficient, effective and economical service for the care and administration of Lancashire County Council's records, regardless of medium, from creation until selection for destruction or permanent preservation. (Further guidance on the interpretation of 'proper arrangements' can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website http://www.odpm.gov.uk)
Objectives
- Providing low-cost, high-density confidential storage for semi- and non-current records, thereby releasing high-cost office and storage accommodation.
- Enabling easier, quicker and more accurate identification and retrieval of information, saving staff time and storage equipment costs, and allowing better decision-making based on higher quality and appropriate information.
- Ensuring records (both paper and electronic) are destroyed at the earliest opportunity once they have no further legal, financial, administrative or archival function with resulting savings on accommodation costs.
- Regularly reviewing assigned retention periods to ensure documents are not occupying valuable storage space longer than necessary.
- Identifying records of historical or other importance at the earliest opportunity for permanent preservation in Lancashire County Council's own archive at the Lancashire Record Office, thus protecting Lancashire County Council's archives of the future.