Must a company hold general meetings?
There is now no statutory requirement for a private company to hold any general meetings, not even an Annual General Meeting. This change was introduced when Part 13 (sec281 - sec361) of the Companies Act 2006 came into effect on 1st. October 2007. Before that, all companies were required to hold an Annual general Meeting, though since the 1989 Act came into effect it has been possible for private companies to opt out if holding AGMs, by passing a (now defunct) elective resolution.
Some companies' articles will require them to hold an AGM and any such provision will continue to be binding on the company until the articles are amended. A company may hold an AGM even though not bound to by the Act or its articles.
The former statutory requirement to lay accounts before the general meeting has been replaced by a provision requiring them to be sent to the members: CA 2006, sec423 - sec425.
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