Council Policies

This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Corporate Anti-Fraud Policy, updated in November 2024. It explains the Council’s approach to preventing and investigating fraud, bribery and corruption, including staff and elected members’ responsibilities. It sets out how to report concerns, protect evidence, investigate cases and take further action, including disciplinary or police involvement where appropriate. It also includes the Fraud Response Plan, reporting flowchart and related policies.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy for protecting personal information and respecting people’s privacy. It explains who must follow the policy, when information can be collected and shared, and the rights people have over their information. It also covers staff responsibilities, security, training, handling breaches and complaints, reporting requirements, and related guidance.

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This document contains information about your rights over the personal information held by Orkney Islands Council, including the rights to see, correct, erase, restrict or object to its use. It explains how the Council uses, shares, stores and protects your information, and how to complain if you’re unhappy. An application form is included for making a request, with details of the identification needed and the usual one-month response time.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s privacy notice for current and former employees. It explains what personal and sensitive information the Council collects, why it is needed for employment, pay, health and safety, equality monitoring and legal duties, and where it comes from. It outlines who information may be shared with, how it is monitored, stored and kept, and when it may leave the UK. It also explains when employees must provide information and how to contact the Data Protection Officer.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s information security policy, which sets out how the Council will protect information and keep it confidential, accurate and available. It explains who the policy covers, the laws and standards that support it, and the responsibilities of staff, elected members, contractors and senior officers. It also outlines how security breaches should be reported and the possible disciplinary or legal action for failing to follow the policy.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Financial Regulations, reviewed in June 2024. It sets out the rules and responsibilities for managing public money, including budgeting, spending, purchasing, payments, income, staffing costs, assets, banking, risk, security and partnerships. It also explains the roles of finance officers, committees, managers, internal audit, councillors and staff, and the action required when rules are broken or fraud is suspected.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Capital Strategy for 2024 to 2029. It explains how capital spending will support the Council Plan, how projects are assessed and managed, the funding sources available, and the risks and affordability limits affecting investment. It also sets out governance arrangements and the approved five-year capital programme, covering services including housing, roads, education, administration, harbours and Scapa Flow Oil Port.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s rules for funding external organisations and tracking how public money is used. It explains approval, payment and monitoring requirements, including written Service Level Agreements for payments of £10,000 or more, risk checks for advance funding, registers for funding and conflicts of interest, and reporting to committees. It also lists Council grant schemes and their eligibility, payment rates and conditions across education, housing, culture, business, tourism, archaeology, health and care, childcare, and community support.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy for setting and reviewing service charges and concessions. It explains how charges should support Council priorities, cover costs where appropriate, manage demand and promote fair access. It sets out when charges may be restricted or waived, and requires services to assess effects on users, including equality, social, environmental and economic impacts. The policy also describes approval, consultation, income forecasting, annual reviews and monitoring arrangements.

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This document contains guidelines for managing Orkney Islands Council assets, including identifying surplus items, offering them to other services, and selling or donating them. It covers extra requirements for property, computer, electrical and specialist equipment, including relevant safety and waste rules. It also explains how to record disposals and additions, update inventories, keep an audit trail and complete notification forms for assets valued over £5,000. Appendices provide a flowchart, quick reference sheet and forms.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy for protecting employees’ health, safety and welfare at work. It sets out the responsibilities of elected members, managers, employees and the Safety and Resilience Service, along with arrangements for risk assessments, training, reporting concerns and staff consultation. It also covers violence at work, asbestos, safe premises, emergency planning, monitoring and regular policy reviews.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Fire Safety Policy for 2025 to 2027. It explains fire safety responsibilities for managers, staff, visitors, contractors and property teams, including risk assessments, emergency plans, evacuation support and prevention measures. It also covers training, fire drills, equipment checks, building works, record keeping, audits and reporting fires or near misses.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy for managing records from creation through storage, archiving or destruction. It sets common standards for all staff, councillors, contractors, records and information systems, including how records should be stored, secured, accessed, retained and protected. It explains responsibilities across the Council and supports compliance with records, data protection and information access laws. The policy also covers related standards, regular monitoring and annual review.

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This document contains the Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Islands Licensing Board’s plan for managing records from creation through to storage, archiving or secure destruction. It sets out 15 areas of work, including responsibilities, record storage, retention, information security, data protection, business continuity, staff training, information sharing and work with contractors. It also explains how the plan is monitored, audited and reviewed each year.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s retention and disposal schedule, version 2.0 dated 27 November 2023. It lists records across 26 service areas, explains how long each type should be kept, when the period starts, and whether it should be destroyed, reviewed or kept permanently. It covers paper and electronic records, gives legal reasons where relevant, and sets out secure destruction arrangements, including pausing destruction when information is subject to a request or legal process.

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This document contains the Orkney Islands Council guide to managing records and information throughout their lifecycle, from creation to archiving or secure destruction. It covers clear file naming, version control, file sizes, long-term preservation, paper records, business classification and vital records. It also explains retention and disposal requirements, data protection, information security, the Electronic Document and Records Management System project, and staff responsibilities.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s smoking policy, which aims to protect staff and the public from tobacco smoke and support employees who want to stop smoking. Smoking is banned in Council buildings, vehicles, marine craft and while working with children, with limited exceptions for residents in care homes and smoking outside during permitted breaks. The policy also covers protecting staff visiting smokers’ homes and explains enforcement, disciplinary action and annual review.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy for managing challenging or unacceptable behaviour by service users and complainants. It explains how staff should respond to aggression, abuse, unreasonable demands and persistent complaints, while treating people fairly and keeping services accessible. It sets out when contact may be restricted, how incidents are reported, and how decisions can be appealed and reviewed. It also covers risk flags, information sharing, staff safety and example letters notifying people about flags.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy on volunteering, including its aims, scope and the roles of volunteers, managers and staff. It explains recruitment, checks for work with children and protected adults, induction, supervision, confidentiality, insurance and health and safety. It also covers informal volunteering, handling problems, a volunteer agreement template and guidance for assessing and reducing risks.

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