Our Business Services – Company Secretarial
The role of the Company Secretary
The legislation surrounding companies often appears complicated and may at times be confusing for those involved. The company secretary plays an important role in ensuring that a company and its directors both comply with company law. The role might be described best as that of chief administrator!
Do all Companies need a Company Secretary?
Yes, at present, company law requires every limited company to have a formally appointed company secretary. In fact, all private limited companies must have at least one director along with a company secretary and where the company has a sole director, that director cannot also be the company secretary. Where there are two or more directors, one may be appointed as the secretary. In all companies, whether public or private, the secretary performs an important role in ensuring that the company meets statutory requirements. For public companies these may be onerous tasks requiring specialist up to date knowledge of company law. As such, public companies are required to appoint a suitably qualified company secretary. This is not necessary for private companies.
The Status and Liability of the Company Secretary
The company secretary is an officer of the company. This means that they may be criminally liable for defaults committed by the company, for example, failure to file in the time allowed, any change in the details of the company’s directors and secretary and the company’s annual return.
The Duties of the Company Secretary
The duties of the company secretary are not defined specifically within company law. However, these may be divided generally into three main areas:
- Maintaining statutory registers
- Completing and filing statutory forms
- Meetings and resolutions
We can take the burden of this role away from you
We are a professional firm of Accountants who will take on the responsibility for ensuring that all of your Company Secretarial matters are up to date and in order. This service is offered on a fixed fee basis – please contact us for a quote today.
