CPDStore

10:00am

Company Size Thresholds - How They Apply and What Has Changed

Speaker: Claire Thomson – Grant Thornton

Applying the company size thresholds under the Companies Act 2006 is not always straight forward, particularly when it comes to entities within groups or where an entity moves from one category to another during the year.

In this webinar, Claire Thomson will discuss:

• How the thresholds apply to both single entities and to group companies
• The impact of company size on audit, consolidation and disclosure requirements
• The recent uplifts in company size thresholds, and how these are applied going forward.

The content will be supported with worked examples to further aid understanding.

This session is essential for anyone who works with UK companies of various sizes.

Course level: Intermediate

11:00am

A Guide to Director Disqualification

Speaker: Martyn Pullin – FRP Advisory Trading Ltd

In my session on the 2023 Company Law Conference, we provided a guide to directors’ duties in insolvency. Designed for advising accountants, this year’s session we take a look behind the scenes at what an office holder has to do pursuant to Statement of Insolvency Practice 2, an overview of what must be reported to the Insolvency Service under the Company Director’s Disqualification Act and the current enforcement statistics. We will also briefly cover the current hot topics.

The session is focussed on delivering useful hints and tips to accountants to ensure they mitigate any risk to their practice in the event of an insolvency, and to their clients. We will also cover the accountant’s interaction with office holders and what requirements they have to provide information. The session will aid client retention (ensuring an insolvency of a company does not prevent the directors from starting new businesses) and avoid litigation risk.

In this session Martyn Pullin will cover the following topics:

• Current Insolvency and disqualification statistics
• When do statutory investigations take place and what involvement does the accountant have?
• What is involved in the office holders SIP 2 Review and what data is secured?
• Why do directors get disqualified?
• Mitigating practice and client liability including Hot Topics

By attending this session, you will understand the investigations that insolvency practitioners have to complete in relevant insolvency processes and the consequences should there be antecedent transactions. This will lead into how clients can avoid the pitfalls of poor decision-making in the period leading up to the insolvency. If a company does go into insolvency, avoiding disqualification will ensure the entrepreneur is in a position to try and build a company again and also protect their role in any other companies they may have.

The session is most relevant to business owners and client facing accountants and advisors.

Course level: Intermediate

12:00pm

Companies House - Directors New ID Requirements

Speaker: David Winch – MLRO Support Ltd

We are in the middle of very substantial changes to the way Companies House operates. Those changes are taking effect in stages from 2024 to 2026. The changes will impact on all UK companies, their directors, PSCs and anyone who submits documents to Companies House for filing (including accountants). This session will give you an understanding of these changes and what you need to do about them.

In this session David Winch will cover the following topics:

• Companies House – the problem & the solution
• Timeline of the changes
• Who needs a verified ID – and when?
• How is ID verified?
• What should we do now – should we apply to be an ACSP?

By attending this session, you will obtain an understanding of the changes being introduced, their timing, and what you can do to assist your firm and its clients to deal with the new requirements.

This session will be of most interest to, Principals and senior staff dealing with limited company and LLP clients.

Course Level: Need to know (new regulation)

1:30pm

AML Supervisory, Regulatory and Reporting Developments in 2025

Speaker: Lucy Brown – Calathea Solutions Ltd

The Money Laundering Regulations and guidance are constantly under review, join this session to find out about recent changes to your AML obligations and how you should be incorporating them into your firm's compliance programme.

In this session Lucy Brown will cover the following topics:

• Overview of your obligations
• Updated LSAG guidance effective 23 April 2025
• Requirement to carry out a Proliferation Financing risk assessment
• Changes to the duty to report discrepancies
• Changes to domestic PEP risk assignment

At the end of this session, you will be equipped to ensure you have updated your policies, controls and procedures to incorporate all the latest amendments of the money laundering regulations.

Course level: Need to know

2:30pm

Directors and Shareholders - The Grey Area in Privately Owned Companies

Speaker: Aly Young – AY Business Law

The session will cover the rules around decision-making across shareholders and directors in privately owned companies. By attending this session accountants and other professional advisers can ensure they and their clients have a proper understanding of who can do what, to ensure any actions of the company have the appropriate authority behind them.

In this session, Aly Young will cover the following topics:

• Board decisions
• Shareholder decisions – ordinary and special resolutions
• Ostensible authority
• Importance of record-keeping
• Changing the rules

This session will be of most interest to anyone working with companies.

Course level: Foundation / Intermediate (Would probably be useful to have a previous understanding of Company Act rules)

3:30pm

Using Family Investment Companies for Property Investment

Speaker: Simon Briton - SimonBriton.com

With rising property values and a shifting tax landscape, many advisers are seeing renewed interest in Family Investment Companies (FICs) as a structure for holding and passing on property wealth. This session explores the practical and legal mechanics of using FICs for property investment – from tax efficiency and asset protection to succession planning. Whether you’re advising entrepreneurial families, landlords, or business owners seeking to ring-fence property assets, this session will help you navigate the current environment with clarity and confidence.

In this session Simon Briton will cover the following topics:

• How FICs are structured and why they’re popular for property investment
• The key tax considerations – corporation tax, income extraction, IHT and SDLT
• Legal and governance aspects: articles, shareholders’ agreements, and control
• Practical tips for managing investment risk and banking/lending issues
• Case studies highlighting pitfalls, HMRC concerns and success factors

By attending this session, you will be able to assess when and how FICs can be a suitable vehicle for property clients, understand the associated tax and legal implications, and communicate the benefits and risks effectively to your clients.

This session will be of most interest to Company advisers, private client and property-focused accountants, tax consultants, wealth managers, and solicitors with SME clients.

Course level: Intermediate