Clear desk policy

Draft for approval

Status: Version 1.0

Date: 4th April 2024

Adopted: Pending approval

To be Reviewed: May 2025

Overview

To improve the security and confidentiality of information, Stourport-on-Severn Town Council has adopted a Clear Desk Policy for workspaces.

It has been implemented for security reasons, with the goal of limiting the possibilities of external parties seeing sensitive documents and reducing the risk of information breaches.  It also ensures that Stourport Town Council are GDPR compliant at all times.

All sensitive and confidential information should be properly locked away or disposed of when a workstation is not in use.  This includes whether the information is on:

  • paper
  • storage device
  • hardware device

The Clear Desk Policy will reduce the risk of unauthorised access.  This includes the loss of, and damage to, information during and outside of normal business hours, or when workstations are left unattended.

A Clear Desk Policy is an important security and privacy control.

Scope

This policy applies to all permanent and temporary staff, Town Councillors and volunteers working directly or indirectly for Stourport-on-Severn Town Council.

Policy

Whenever a desk is unoccupied for an extended period of time the following will apply:

  1. All personal, sensitive and confidential paperwork must be removed from the desk and locked in a drawer or filing cabinet.  This includes mass storage devices, such as USB drives.
  2. All wastepaper, and redundant documents, that contains sensitive or confidential information must be placed into confidential waste to be shredded.
  3. Computers must be locked when the desk is unoccupied and shut down at the end of the working day.
  4. Laptops, tablets, and other hardware devices must be removed from the desk and locked in a drawer or filing cabinet.
  5. Keys for accessing drawers or filing cabinets should not be left unattended at a desk.
  6. Printers should be treated with the same care under this policy.  This means:
    • All print jobs can only be printed via the secure print option.
    • Print jobs containing sensitive and confidential paperwork should be retrieved immediately.
    • All paperwork left over at the end of the working day will be properly disposed of, via confidential waste.
  7. The Town Clerk will carry out regular clear desk 'sweeps' or checks and issues fed back as appropriately required.

Compliance

All permanent and temporary staff, Town Councillors and volunteers will be provided with a copy of this policy and must sign to confirm they have received it and will comply at all times with its content.

This policy will be officially monitored for compliance by the Town Clerk and may include random and scheduled inspections.

Non-compliance

All policies require the participation of staff, councillors and volunteers to be successful. Anyone found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action.

Review of Policy

The review of this document will be carried out annually, or if a breach should arise, by the Town Clerk.  All amendments will be approved by the Town Council, with the revised document circulated accordingly.