MSP Secretaries

We’re heading into the AGM season for PLCs. PLCs whose year ends on 31st December need to hold their AGM by 30th June. Here, in the first of two articles, we give an overview of the considerations required to ensure a PLC is compliant. In part one, we look at requirements and giving notice for…

Good governance practices sit at the core of a charity, and regardless of a charity’s size or structure, there are four activities that help satisfy good governance, all of which benefit from the support of a company secretary: registering, record-keeping, reporting, and compliance – these areas will be explored below; but first, what is meant…

For those public companies whose financial year ended on 31st December, AGM season is now fast approaching.  Company minds will be turning to AGM resolutions that permit companies to issue shares for cash consideration, without being obliged to first offer the new ordinary shares to current shareholders.  To issue the shares non-pre-emptively.  This guide outlines…

With many financial years ending on 31 December, directors’ and shareholders’ minds turn to dividends, declaring dividends to shareholders follows a defined process, with compliance required at each stage if they are to be lawful.  MSP Company Secretarial has created this practical guide to the steps companies need to follow to declare dividends lawfully. This…

The significant increase in machine learning and AI powered minute taking software has questioned whether Company Secretaries are still required for minute taking in board meetings.  Michael Clarke, manager at MSP Company Secretarial investigates the significant pitfalls faced by an over-reliance on AI platforms. AI and boardroom minute taking: Do you need a company secretary?…

Enacted on 26 October 2023, the

Put simply, corporate governance is the framework, or the guidelines, for ensuring responsible business practice. Governance codes guide and form best practice, giving shape to the way companies and their directors operate, and setting standards for transparency and accountability. The Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) Corporate Governance Code (the “QCA Code”) is a set of principles…

Change is coming to corporate law with the implementation of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (the “Act”). Regarded as the single biggest change to corporate law since the Companies Act of 2006, this Act brings transformation in corporate governance. It demands heightened accountability, adaptability, and transparency from businesses across the UK. The

There are almost 170,000 registered charities in the UK, and nearly 1 million people are charged with overseeing their governance and ensuring they act within their Charitable Objectives. Charity Trustees, where the Charity is a registered Limited Company or a Charitable Incorporated Company (CIO), are often also Company Directors. This means that as well as…