Commentary Part 17: a Company’s Share Capital Chapter 2: Allotment of Shares: General Provisions Section 550: Power of directors to allot shares etc: private company with only one class of shares
848.In line with the recommendations of the CLR (Final Report, paragraph 4.5), this is a new provision which empowers the directors to allot shares (or to grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares) where the company is a private company which will have only one class of shares after the proposed allotment and removes the current requirement, contained in section 80 of the 1985 Act, for the directors to have prior authority from the company’s members for such an allotment of shares. In addition, it provides that the members may, if they wish, restrict or prohibit this power through the articles. The definition of “class of shares” is contained in section 629.