Companies Act 2006 – more changes taking place on 1 October 2009

The provisions of the Companies Act 2006 have been brought into force in stages and the remaining changes will come into force on 1 October 2009.

Changes to the Memorandum & Articles of Association have been described in our previous article ‘Companies Act 2006 – impact on company’s constitutional documents’. The remaining new provisions are as follows:

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Companies Act 2006 – impact on company’s constitutional documents

From 1 October 2009 companies should be anticipating significant changes to their administration and management as new provisions contained in the Companies Act 2006 come into force. One of the areas which will require a professional review and possible amendments is the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. This article explains the main alterations and steps which need to be taken to comply with the 2006 Act in respect of the Memorandum and Articles.

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Contracts of employment

As a vast majority of businesses need employees in order to expand, company directors, sooner or later, have to face the prospect of recruiting people and familiarising themselves with employment law. Employment law, together with discrimination and data protection legislation, all have major roles to play throughout the recruitment process.

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New Health and Safety Act

The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force on 16 January 2009. This Act increases penalties and provides courts with greater sentencing powers for health and safety offences in a workplace. In particular it Continue reading

Do you want to become an entrepreneur?

For most people being forced to clean up their desks, pack their belongings and say goodbye to the company to which they devoted so much energy, passion and time isn’t easy. The frustration, anger and disappointment remain for a long time. But, instead of staying immerged in despair, more and more people who have currently been made redundant are turning all these negative feelings into something positive and rewarding – they are starting their own businesses and making money for themselves!

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Shareholders’ Rights Directive

The Shareholders’ Rights Directive will be introduced into UK law in August 2009. According to the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (‘BERR’), which is responsible for implementing the Directive, the aim is to: ‘improve corporate governance in EU companies traded on regulated markets by enabling shareholders to exercise their voting rights and rights to information across borders’.

Many of the provisions in the Directive are already in force in the UK, through the existing legal and governance framework. BERR is currently consulting on the following changes which, when agreed, will be implemented through amendments to the Companies Act 2006:
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