The way in which individual services do this is framed by best practice and professional standards and validated by the Archive Service Accreditation Standard. This allows for interpretation according to the size, range and complexity of collections and mission of each service.
A professionally run archives service conforms most closely to the idea of ‘proper arrangements’, as described in the Local Government Act, 1972 (s. 224), and supports compliance with the Public Record, Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts and the Environmental Information Regulations.
Records that have been acquired by and managed professionally in an archive have evidential weight and consequently the information can be trusted by the authority and its stakeholders.
Local authorities may choose to fund a joint service with other local authorities or partners, to deliver via an arm’s length body or to contract the service out. The responsibilities remain with the local authority, even if they no longer directly deliver the service.
In determining the level of service that needs to be provided, several factors need to be taken into account. The first is legislation (see below), but this is not the only determinant of the appropriate level of service and should be considered alongside the requirements of the Council’s own business units, the archival requirements of the collections and the expectations of users and the public. In most cases, the archive service will also be required to meet the national Archive Service Accreditation standard to fulfil its obligations under its appointment as a Place of Deposit under the Public Records Act.
The National Archives has a role in interpreting the legislation which affects records across the archive sector including local authorities.