UK Corporate Insolvency & Governance Bill: Termination Clauses & Temporary COVID-19 Relief

By Linda Crow

09.06.2020

The new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill will introduce new provisions to protect a company from suppliers wishing to terminate supply contracts or invoking more draconian terms when the company is entering into certain insolvency procedures, a CVA, or a new restructuring plan or moratorium (as introduced by the Bill), (each an “Insolvency Procedure”).

The purpose behind the new provisions is to maximise the possibility of a company being rescued or being able to sell its business as a going concern by helping it to trade through an Insolvency Procedure.

Where a company (the customer) becomes subject to an Insolvency Procedure, the supplier will be prohibited from: Continue reading “UK Corporate Insolvency & Governance Bill: Termination Clauses & Temporary COVID-19 Relief”

Prompted By COVID-19: The UK Government Introduces Corporate Insolvency & Governance Bill

By Linda Crow

28.05.2020

Last week the UK government introduced the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill in Parliament.

The main objective of the Bill is to provide businesses with the flexibility and space needed to continue to trade during this difficult time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, the provisions around the new moratorium and the new restructuring plan proposal have been under consideration for a few years.

The Bill’s measures can be split into three categories:

  1. Those that provide greater flexibility, allowing companies protection from creditor action and safeguarding supplies whilst it explores options for rescue.
  2. Temporary suspension of parts of insolvency law to support directors continuing to trade during the crisis without threat of personal liability and to prevent aggressive creditor action.
  3. Temporary extension of certain times for filing documents at Companies House and temporary relaxation of strict compliance with constitutional requirements relating to corporate meetings (including AGMs).

The insolvency measures are: Continue reading “Prompted By COVID-19: The UK Government Introduces Corporate Insolvency & Governance Bill”

COVID-19: Corporate Governance & Reporting Issues – make it specific, make it realistic

We look at the key issues company boards should be aware of with regards to corporate governance and reporting in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis

By Thomas Rainey

23.04.2020

The UK government and by extension the financial regulators have taken steps to show that they are cognisant of the fact that there will be a clear impact on  UK companies’ ability to display the ‘normal’ forms of corporate governance and reporting in light of the COVID-19 disruption. While there is no suggestion that this period will be viewed as some kind of amnesty for poorly-governed businesses or for inappropriate reporting, the notion that there may be some flexibility in what is expected is beginning to filter through to company boards.

In order to seek to assist boards to focus on what the general expectations are of them at this time, the Financial Reporting Council have published a number of guidance reports.

Governance

Of particular note in relation to governance, the FRC have advised that boards carefully consider the following:

Continue reading “COVID-19: Corporate Governance & Reporting Issues – make it specific, make it realistic”

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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