Insolvency Act 1986

122 Circumstances in which company may be wound up by the court. E+W+S

(1) A company may be wound up by the court if—

(a) the company has by special resolution resolved that the company be wound up by the court,

(b) being a public company which was registered as such on its original incorporation, the company has not been issued with [F1 a trading certificate under section 761 of the Companies Act 2006 (requirement as to minimum share capital)] and more than a year has expired since it was so registered,

(c) it is an old public company, within the meaning of the Consequential Provisions Act,

(d) the company does not commence its business within a year from its incorporation or suspends its business for a whole year;

(e) [F2 except in the case of a private company limited by shares or by guarantee,] the number of members is reduced below 2,

(f) the company is unable to pay its debts,

[F3 (fa) at the time at which a moratorium for the company under section 1A comes to an end, no voluntary arrangement approved under Part I has effect in relation to the company]

(g) the court is of the opinion that it is just and equitable that the company should be wound up.

(2) In Scotland, a company which the Court of Session has jurisdiction to wind up may be wound up by the Court if there is subsisting a floating charge over property comprised in the company’s property and undertaking, and the court is satisfied that the security of the creditor entitled to the benefit of the floating charge is in jeopardy.

For this purpose a creditor’s security is deemed to be in jeopardy if the Court is satisfied that events have occurred or are about to occur which render it unreasonable in the creditor’s interests that the company should retain power to dispose of the property which is subject to the floating charge.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 122(1)(b) substituted (6.4.2008) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments etc) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/948), art. 3(1), Sch. 1 para. 102 (with arts. 6, 11, 12)

F2 Words in s. 122(1)(e) inserted (15.7.1992) by S.I. 1992/1699, reg. 2, Sch. para. 8

F3 S. 122(1)(fa) inserted (1.1.2003) by 2000 c. 39, s. 1, Sch. 1 para. 6; S.I. 2002/2711, art. 2 (with transitional provisions in arts. 3-5)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 122 applied (with modifications) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 8, Sch. 4 Pt. II para. 6(a)

C2 S. 122(1) modified (10.8.2005) by The Insurers (Reorganisation and Winding Up) (Lloyd's) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/1998), regs. 2(3), 25(3)

C3 S. 122(1)(b) excluded (27.7.1999) by 1999 c. 20, ss. 2(5), 5(1), Sch. 2 Pt. II para. 9(b) (with s. 15)

S. 122(1)(b) excluded (8.10.2004) by The European Public Limited-Liability Company Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2326), regs. 85, 88, Sch. 4 para. 9(b) (with Sch. 4 para. 11)

C4 S. 122(1)(f) modified by S.I. 1989/1058, reg. 18(2)

S. 122(1)(f) extended (1.4.1992) by S.I. 1992/613, reg. 49(2)

S. 122(1)(f): power to modify conferred (E.W.) (6.3.1992) by 1992 c. 14, s. 14(3), Sch. 4 para. 10(1) (with s. 118(1)(2))