The Director of Finance provides an update on the progress and development of the Records Management and Archives Facility at the Cheshire Lines building and the increasing demands made on it by the public and other services within the Council, including the increasing number of Freedom of Information requests.

He reported that in July 2008, The National Archives (TNA), the regulator of Archive facilities, inspected the Cheshire Lines facility. This resulted in the Council being granted a licence to house the Archives and enable opening it to the public. A further in depth inspection was due imminently and TNA is looking to formally accredit Wirral as a Place of Deposit for Public Records. As long as the environmental factors were stabilised then approved status could be sought for the facility, which applied only to some 30 facilities across the UK and would be a real coup for the Council.

The Director set out a number of proposed developments to improve the archive service and he set out a revised staffing structure which would help manage the growth of the Records Management service from facilitating two departments of the Council to facilitating all departments. This would allow the service to absorb the additional capacity faced with the confirmed increase in holdings from approximately 30,000 files to 300,000 files, thus enhancing the ability to rationalise and manage the strategic assets, including office accommodation more efficiently.

The cost of the proposed structure compared to the existing temporary structure required an increase of £32,540. However, it was anticipated that with the current volume of work and interest in the Archive Service, approximately £10,000 would be generated from the introduction of charging policies. Furthermore, since the inception of the Archive and Records Management Facility, filing and retrieval of information had become significantly more efficient, both in terms of the ability to retrieve information more quickly and in space being released at other buildings. The total estimated savings in running costs for those establishments where records had been relocated to the Cheshire Lines Archive amounted to £96,100. The proposal was therefore estimated to reduce costs by £73,500.

Resolved –

(1) That the extension of the opening hours of the service from 13 to 38 hours per week, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday and 10.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturdays be approved.

(2) That the Employment and Appointments Committee be recommended to approve the revised staffing establishment for the service.

(3) That a research service be provided to persons who cannot visit the archives in person and that the Charging Policy for this service be agreed.