Document Retention Policy

Purpose

This policy sets out how long Towerblock Radio CIC retains documents and records, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and good governance while avoiding unnecessary data retention.

Scope

This policy applies to all documents and records held by Towerblock Radio CIC, including financial records, governance documents, safeguarding records, HR records, volunteer records, contracts and digital data.

Definitions

• Retention period means the length of time a document is kept.
• Personal data means information relating to an identifiable person under UK GDPR.
• Special category data means sensitive personal data such as health, ethnicity, or safeguarding information.

Responsibilities

The board approves the retention schedule. The Data Protection Contact ensures compliance with UK GDPR. Each policy owner is responsible for retention within their area.

Policy Statement

Towerblock Radio CIC retains records only for as long as necessary to meet legal, operational and funder requirements, and disposes of records securely when they are no longer needed.

Detailed Procedures

Retention schedule

| Record type | Retention period | Legal basis | |---|---|---| | Company formation documents | Permanent | Companies Act 2006 | | Board minutes and resolutions | Permanent | Companies Act 2006 | | Annual report and accounts | Permanent | Companies Act 2006 | | Financial records | 6 years | Companies Act 2006 | | Tax records | 6 years | HMRC requirements | | Grant agreements and reports | 6 years after closure | Funder requirements | | Employment contracts | Duration plus 6 years | Employment law | | Volunteer records | Duration plus 6 years | Best practice | | Safeguarding records | 30 years from last entry | Safeguarding guidance | | DBS certificates | 6 months then destroyed | DBS Code of Practice | | Complaint records | 6 years | Best practice | | Insurance policies | Duration plus 6 years | Insurance requirements | | Health and safety records | 6 years (40 years for exposure records) | HSE guidance | | Music submission records | Up to 36 months | Operational need | | Marketing consent records | Until consent withdrawn | UK GDPR | | Website analytics | Up to 26 months | UK GDPR | | General enquiries | Up to 24 months | Operational need | | Policy documents | Superseded versions kept for 6 years | Governance |

Storage

Physical records are stored in locked cabinets. Digital records are stored in access-controlled cloud storage. Special category data is encrypted and access-restricted.

Destruction

Physical records are shredded. Digital records are permanently deleted. Destruction is logged with date, description and person responsible. Records subject to legal hold or investigation are not destroyed.

Reporting Process

An annual retention review is reported to the board.

Compliance Requirements

• UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
• Companies Act 2006.
• HMRC record-keeping requirements.
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Monitoring

The Data Protection Contact conducts an annual retention review.

Review Cycle

This policy shall be reviewed annually.

Version Number

Version 1.0

Approval Section

Approved by: Towerblock Radio CIC Board Date: July 2026 Next review: July 2027

Related Policies

• Privacy Policy
• Information Security Policy
• Safeguarding Policy
• Finance Controls Policy

Website URL slug

/policies/document-retention-policy

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Document Retention Policy | Towerblock Radio

Meta Description

Towerblock Radio CIC's document retention policy covering retention periods, storage, secure destruction and legal compliance with UK GDPR, Companies Act and safeguarding requirements.

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Governance

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document retention, data retention, UK GDPR, storage limitation, records management, destruction