Meetings & Decision Making

❗ PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE ECONOMIC CRIME & CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT 2023 IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN PHASES AND MAY CHANGE SOME OF THE TEMPLATES BELOW. 

Companies make decisions through formal procedures, not informal agreements. To be legally effective and compliant, decisions of directors and shareholders must be properly approved, recorded and, where required, filed.

These templates cover day-to-day governance (board minutes for routine approvals) through to shareholder resolutions and general meeting paperwork for major changes.

When Should You Use These Templates?

✅ You need to record routine director decisions (for example, approving accounts, entering into contracts, or appointing a committee)
✅ You need shareholder approval for a significant change (for example, changing the company name, updating the Articles of Association, or approving certain share actions)
✅ You need to hold a formal meeting (for example, an AGM where your articles require it, or a general meeting to deal with a specific issue)
✅ You want to use electronic communications with shareholders, and you need the required consents and notices in place
✅ You are planning a hybrid or virtual meeting and need documents that align with what your articles allow

What Does The Law Require?

Companies Act 2006 The law requires companies to keep minutes of all meetings of directors for at least 10 years. Failure to do so is an offence committed by every officer of the company. Similarly, shareholders’ decisions (Resolutions) must be formally recorded and, in many cases (such as Special Resolutions), filed with Companies House.

How Does The Approval Process Work?

For most significant company decisions, the process follows a typical hierarchy:

1. Board approval. The directors approve or propose an action, recorded in board minutes.
2. Shareholder approval (where required). If the law or the articles require it, the proposal is put to shareholders - often via a written resolution for private companies.
3. Formal record. The decision is documented as an ordinary or special resolution (and supporting minutes, where applicable).
4. Filing (where required). File the relevant resolution and/or forms at Companies House within the applicable deadline (often 15 days for special resolutions).

What Template Groups Are In This Section?

Company Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes are the official record of what the board decided. This set includes standard minutes for routine business and specific templates for common approvals (for example, loans, registered office changes, and share allotments).

Special and Ordinary Shareholders’ Resolutions
Shareholders make decisions by passing resolutions. Ordinary resolutions generally require a simple majority. Special resolutions are used for major constitutional changes and generally require at least 75% approval. Written resolutions are commonly used by private companies, but cannot be used to remove a director or an auditor.

Company General Meetings
Private companies are not required by law to hold an AGM, but some choose to do so, and many will need to call general meetings for specific decisions. This set includes notices, agendas, chairman’s scripts and proxy forms for physical and hybrid meetings (where permitted).

Shareholder Letters & Forms
Practical supporting templates for shareholder decisions, including consent to short notice, proxy appointments, and letters relating to share subscriptions and similar actions.

Electronic Communications
Templates to help you put the required consents and notifications in place so you can communicate with shareholders electronically (for example, by email or via a website).

Meetings & Decision Making is part of Corporate. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Corporate for 1 year.