Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Nov 4, 2021
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting
This document is important and requires your immediate attention.
If you are in any doubt as to what action to take you should consult an appropriate independent financial adviser.
If you have sold or transferred all of your shares in Bellway p.l.c., you should pass this document and all accompanying documents to the person through whom the sale or transfer was effected as soon as possible, for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at Bellway p.l.c. Woolsington House, Woolsington, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE13 8BF on Monday 6 December 2021 at 8.30 am for the following purposes:
To consider and if thought fit, pass the following resolutions which will be proposed as ordinary resolutions:
To consider, and if thought fit, pass the following resolution which will be proposed as an ordinary resolution:
and so that the Directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with any treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter.
The authorities conferred on the Directors under paragraphs (a) and (b) above shall apply in substitution for all pre-existing authorities under that section and shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company or 15 months after the passing of this resolution, whichever is sooner, unless previously revoked or varied by the Company, and such authority shall extend to the making before such expiry of an offer or an agreement that would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry, and the Directors may allot shares in the Company and grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, shares in the Company in pursuance of that offer or agreement as if the authority conferred hereby had not expired.
To consider and if thought fit, pass the following resolutions which will be proposed as special resolutions:
(a) the allotment of equity securities or sale of treasury shares in connection with an offer of, or invitation to apply for, equity securities (but in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (b) of Resolution 13, by way of a rights issue only):
(i) to ordinary shareholders in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their existing holdings; and
and so that the Directors may impose any limits or restrictions and make any arrangements which they consider necessary or appropriate to deal with any treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter; and
(b) in the case of the allotment of equity securities and/or sale of treasury shares (otherwise than under paragraph (a) above) up to an aggregate nominal amount of £771,255;
such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company (or, if earlier, at the close of business on 6 March 2023) but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers and enter into agreements which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if such authority had not expired.
such authority to expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company (or, if earlier, at the close of business on the date falling 15 months after the passing of this resolution) but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Directors may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if such authority had not expired.
unless previously renewed, varied or revoked, the authority to purchase conferred by this resolution shall expire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company or, if earlier, 15 months after the passing of this resolution provided that any contract for the purchase of any shares, as aforesaid, which was concluded before the expiry of the said authority may be executed wholly or partly after the said authority expires and the relevant shares purchased pursuant thereto.
By order of the Board
Group General Counsel & Company Secretary
Bellway p.l.c. Woolsington House Woolsington Newcastle Upon Tyne NE13 8BF
Registered in England and Wales Number 1372603
4 November 2021
(i) If you wish to attend the meeting in person it will held at Woolsington House, Woolsington, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 8BF. Doors will open and 8.15 am and there will be signage to direct you to the AGM room.
(xi) To be entitled to attend and vote at the meeting (and for the purposes of determination by the Company of the number of votes cast), shareholders must be entered on the Company's Register of Members by no later than 8.30 a.m. on Saturday 4 December 2021 (or, in the event of any adjournment, at 6 p.m. on the date which is two days prior to the adjourned meeting). Changes to the Register of Members after the relevant deadline shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend and vote at the meeting or adjourned meeting.
(xii) Pursuant to section 527 of the Act, where requested by either a member or members having a right to vote at the general meeting and holding at least 5% of total voting rights of the Company or at least 100 members having a right to vote at the meeting and holding, on average, at least £100 per member of paid up share capital, the Company must publish on its website a statement setting out any matter that such members propose to raise at the meeting relating to either the audit of the Company's accounts that are to be laid before the meeting or the circumstances connected with an auditor ceasing to hold office since the last meeting at which accounts were laid. Where the Company is required to publish such a statement on its website, it may not require the members making the request to pay any expenses incurred by the Company in complying with the request. It must forward the statement to the Company's auditor and the statement may be dealt with as part of the business of the meeting.
(xiii) Any member attending the meeting has the right to ask questions. The Company must cause to be answered any such questions relating to the business being dealt with at the meeting but no such answer need be given if (a) to do so would interfere unduly with the preparation of the meeting or involve the disclosure of confidential information, (b) the answer has already been given on a website in the form of an answer to a question, or (c) it is undesirable, in the interests of the Company or the good order of the meeting, that the question be answered.
(xiv) Members have the right, under section 338 of the Act, to require the Company to give its members notice of a resolution which the shareholders wish to be moved at an Annual General Meeting ('AGM') of the Company. Additionally, members have the right under section 338A of the Act to require the Company to include a matter (other than a proposed resolution) in the business to be dealt with at the AGM. The Company is required to give such notice of a resolution or include such matter once it has received requests from members representing at least 5% of the total voting rights of all the members who have a right to vote at the AGM or from at least 100 members with the same right to vote who hold shares in the Company on which there has been paid up an average sum per member of at least £100. This request must be received by the Company not later than six weeks before the AGM or, if later, the time at which notice is given of the AGM. In the case of a request relating to section 338A of the Act, the request must be accompanied by a statement setting out the grounds for the request.
(xv) Except as provided above, members who wish to communicate with the Company in relation to the meeting should do so in writing either to the Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at the registered office address or to the Company's registrar, Link Group, 10th Floor, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL. No other methods of communication will be accepted. In particular, you may not use any electronic address (within the meaning of section 333(4) of the Act) provided either in this notice of meeting or in any related documents to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.
(xviii) There will be available for inspection during the meeting and for at least 15 minutes before it begins, the Directors' appointment letters and service contracts.
(xix) A copy of this notice and the other information required by section 311A of the Act can be found at www.bellwayplc.co.uk.
(xx) As at on 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date before publication of this notice) there are 123,400,824 ordinary shares of 12.5p each in issue. Each ordinary share carries the right to one vote at a general meeting of the Company and therefore the total number of voting rights in the Company as at 19 October 2021 is 123,400,824.
These resolutions require more than 50% of votes cast to be cast in favour in order to be passed.
These resolutions require at least 75% of votes cast to be cast in favour in order to be passed.
Under section 437 of the Companies Act 2006, the Directors must present the reports of the Directors and the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 July 2021 to the shareholders at the meeting. This is an ordinary resolution and the Board asks that the shareholders receive the reports and accounts.
This is an ordinary resolution, which is advisory only and seeks shareholder approval to the Remuneration Report, excluding the Directors' Remuneration Policy.
This is an ordinary resolution and seeks shareholder approval of the Remuneration policy. After the policy takes effect the Company will not be able to make a remuneration payment to a current or future Director or a payment for loss of office to a current or past Director unless that payment is consistent with the approved policy or has been approved by a resolution of the shareholders of the Company. A Directors' Remuneration policy will be put to shareholders again no later than the Annual General Meeting in 2024.
Pursuant to the Board's recommendation, this is an ordinary resolution to declare a final dividend of 82.5p per 12.5p ordinary share for the year ended 31 July 2021.
The Articles require one third of the Directors to retire and submit themselves for re-election. The Board has, however, adopted the provision in the UK Corporate Governance Code whereby all of the Directors are subject to annual re-election. Therefore all of the Directors will retire and offer themselves for re-election or election as appropriate. These are ordinary resolutions for the shareholders to approve their re-election or election.
The Nomination Committee is content that each non-executive director proposed for re-election or election is independent for the purposes of the UK Corporate Governance Code and there are no relationships or circumstances likely to affect their character or judgement. Biographical details of each of the Directors can be found on pages 70 and 71 of the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 July 2021. Following formal rigorous evaluation of all of the Directors, the Chairman, acting on behalf of the Board, is satisfied as to the effectiveness and commitment of all of the Directors. All Directors are recommended by the Board for election.
The Chairman's nine year tenure as a non-executive director ends on 31 July 2022. It is the intention of the Company to extend his tenure as Chairman for a further five months beyond this nine year period with a planned retirement by the 2022 AGM. The Senior Independent Director's nine year tenure also ends on 31 July 2022. It is intended that a successor will be appointed by this date.
In accordance with section 489 of the Companies Act 2006, the auditors of a company must be appointed or reappointed before the end of each general meeting at which accounts are laid. This is an ordinary resolution which in the recommendation of the Audit Committee proposes the reappointment of the Company's existing auditors, Ernst & Young LLP, until the conclusion of the next general meeting of the Company at which the accounts are laid.
This is an ordinary resolution seeking shareholder consent to authorise the Audit Committee on behalf of the Board to agree the remuneration of the auditors.
Five resolutions will be proposed as special business. The effect of these resolutions is as follows:
This is an ordinary resolution seeking shareholder approval to authorise the Directors to allot ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of £10,238,402, which is equivalent to approximately two-thirds of the Company's issued ordinary share capital, as at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice), of which half (being ordinary shares up to a nominal value of £5,141,701), representing approximately one-third of the Company's issued share capital, as at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice),, may only be allotted in connection with a rights issue. Such authority, if granted, will expire at the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company. As at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice), the Company held no shares as treasury shares. At present, the Directors only intend to use this authority to satisfy the exercise of awards under the Company's share schemes. The Directors wish to obtain the necessary authority from shareholders so that allotments can be made (if required and if suitable market conditions arise) at short notice and without the need to convene a general meeting of the Company which would be both costly and time consuming.
These are special resolutions, in substitution for the authority granted to the Directors by shareholders on 11 December 2020, which expires at the conclusion of the forthcoming AGM, that shareholders empower the Directors to allot ordinary shares for cash without first offering them pro-rata to existing shareholders, as would otherwise be required by section 561 of the Companies Act 2006 (a) in connection with a rights issue or other pre-emptive offer and (b) (otherwise than in connection with a rights issue or other pre-emptive offer) by Resolution 14 up to an aggregate nominal value of £771,255, being approximately 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice), and by Resolution 15 up to a further aggregate nominal value of £771,255, being approximately 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice). If both resolutions are approved, the total aggregate nominal value of ordinary shares which may be allotted for cash without first offering them pro-rata to existing shareholders would be £1,542,510, being approximately 10% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice).
These disapplication authorities are in line with institutional shareholder guidance and in particular with the Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles (the 'Pre-emption Principles'). The Pre-emption Principles were revised in 2015 to allow the authority for an issue of shares for cash otherwise than in connection with a pre-emptive offer to be increased from 5% to 10% of the Company's issued share capital, provided that the Company confirms that it intends to use the additional 5% authority only in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment. The Board therefore confirms, in accordance with the Pre-emption Principles, that to the extent of the authority in Resolution 15, it intends that this will only be used in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment, which is announced contemporaneously with the issue, or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the issue.
The renewed authorities will expire at the conclusion of the 2021 AGM or at the close of business on 6 March 2023 whichever is the sooner.
The Directors have no present intention of exercising the authority in Resolution 14 or in Resolution 15, but consider it prudent to obtain the flexibility that this authority provides.
In accordance with the Pre-emption Principles, the Directors confirm their intention not to issue more than 7.5% of the Company's issued share capital for cash, on a non pre-emptive basis, in any rolling three-year period without prior consultation with shareholders, save for shares issued in respect of an acquisition or specified capital investment, as described above.
The Company's authority to purchase its own ordinary shares, given at the last AGM, expires at the conclusion of the forthcoming AGM. The Directors propose, as a special resolution, that it should be renewed for a further year to expire on the date of the next AGM. The Directors will review opportunities to use this authority in light of stock market conditions and trading opportunities during the year. The Directors will only make purchases (which will reduce the number of shares in issue) after paying due attention to the effect on the financing of the Group, its assets and earnings per share for the remaining shareholders. Any shares purchased under this authority may be cancelled (in which case the number of shares in issue will be reduced accordingly) or may be held in treasury.
As at 19 October 2021 (the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this notice), there were options outstanding over 747,618 ordinary shares, representing 0.61% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital. This includes 259,907 (0.21%) outstanding PSP awards which can be satisfied from existing shares held in trust rather than by the issue of new shares.
If the authority given by this resolution were to be fully used, these would represent 0.67% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital. As at 19 October 2021 there are no warrants outstanding. Details of any substantial shareholders holding more than 10% of the Company's issued ordinary share capital are included in the 'Major interests in shares' table on page 112 of the Annual Report.
Shareholder approval for the holding of general meetings of the Company, other than an AGM, on 14 days' notice, given at the last AGM, expires at the conclusion of the forthcoming AGM. The Directors propose, as a special resolution, that it should be renewed for a further year to expire on the date of next year's AGM. There is no current intention to use this authority and the Company will only consider using this authority where it is considered that this would be for the benefit of shareholders as a whole.
Your Board consider each of the resolutions set out in the Notice of AGM to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole, accordingly they recommend voting in favour of the resolutions as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial shareholdings in the Company
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