The final implementation of the Companies Act 2006 comes into effect from 1st October 2009. The Act modernises company law to ensures that companies are accountable and governed effectively. The changes include: – Companies House accounts filing deadlines have been reduced by 1 month. This means that accounts should be filed within 9 months for a private company and 6 months for a public company in order to avoid penalties. – Every director will have a service address, which will be publicly available and a usual residential address, which will only be made available to public authorities and credit reference agencies. On 1st October the current residential address will automatically become the service address. Service address details can be changed online from 1st October. – Registers can be held at a single alternative inspection location (SAIL). Only one SAIL address is allowed at a time, and Companies House must be notified of any changes. Once a SAIL address is set up, all or some of the registers can be moved to the address by notifying Companies House. – Company articles for new companies will now include objects and liabilities. These would previously have been in the memorandum. – Any amendments to the company’s articles must be sent to Companies House within 15 days or be liable to a criminal offence and a civil penalty of £200.
Some changes have already taken place. There is now no requirement for a private company to appoint a company secretary, hold an AGM, have a unanimous vote for resolutions (subject to articles) or get a court order to make capital reductions. In addition to this, an individual must be aged 16 or over to be appointed director of a company. In line with the Act, all Companies House forms will change from 1st October and the Registrar’s protected online filing system (PROOF) will also operate under the framework of the act. Further information, including the Companies House forms, is available online from the