Building Societies Act 1986

23 [F1 (1) A member of a building society is entitled to vote— U.K.

(a) on an ordinary resolution or a special resolution if he was, at the end of the last financial year before the voting date, and is, on that date, a shareholding or borrowing member of the society;

(b) on a shareholding members’ resolution, if he was, at the end of that year, and is, on that date, a shareholding member of the society; and

(c) on a borrowing members’ resolution if he was, at the end of that year, and is, on that date, a borrowing member of the society,

but subject, in either case, to paragraphs 5(3), 7(4) and 8(4) above [F2 and sub-paragraph (5A) below] and, in the case of paragraphs (a) and (b), to sub-paragraph (3) below.]

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph, any provision in the rules of a building society is void to the extent that it would have the effect of restricting the rights conferred on members by sub-paragraph (1) above.

F3 [(3) If the rules of the society so provide, a shareholding member is not entitled to vote on an ordinary resolution or a special resolution as such a member, or to vote on a shareholding members’ resolution—

(a) if he did not have a qualifying shareholding at the qualifying shareholding date; or

(b) if he ceased to hold shares at some time between that date and the voting date.

(4) Where a building society’s rules make such provision as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (3)(a) above, a shareholding member shall be taken to have had a qualifying shareholding at the qualifying shareholding date if he had such a holding—

(a) at the end of the last financial year before the voting date, except where paragraph (b) below applies; or

(b) in a case where the voting date falls during that part of a financial year which follows the conclusion of the annual general meeting commenced in that year, at the beginning of the period of 56 days immediately preceding the voting date for members voting in person at a meeting or, as the case may be, on a postal [F4 or electronic] ballot.]

(5) For the purposes of this paragraph a member of a building society has a “qualifying shareholding” at any time if at that time he holds shares in the society to a value not less than the prescribed amount or such lesser amount as may be specified in the rules.

[F5 (5A) If the rules of the society so provide, a member who is also an employee of the building society shall not be entitled to exercise, directly or indirectly, any voting rights that the member may have with respect to a relevant resolution.

(5B) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (5a), a relevant resolution is a resolution to approve an increase in the maximum ratio between the fixed and variable components of remuneration as permitted by Article 94(1)(g)(i) of the capital requirements directive (whereby the level of the variable component may be set at up to 200% of the level of the fixed component), where the member referred to would be directly affected by the increase.

(5C) In sub-paragraph (5B) the “capital requirements directive” means Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC.]

(6) In this paragraph “voting date”, with reference to any resolution, means—

(a) the date of the meeting at which the resolution is intended to be moved, except where paragraph (b) or (c) below applies;

(b) where voting on the resolution is to be conducted by postal ballot [F6 or by electronic ballot in the case of which not all the voting is electronic (within the meaning of paragraph 33A of Schedule 2)], the date which the society specifies as the final date for the receipt of completed ballot papers;

[F7 (bb) in the case of an election conducted by electronic ballot in which all the voting is electronic voting (within the meaning of that paragraph), the date which the society [F8 specifies] as the final date for registering votes;]

(c) in the case of a member appointing a proxy to vote instead of him at a meeting, the date which the society specifies as the final date for the receipt of [F9 appointments of] proxies to vote on that resolution.

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 2 Pt. III para. 23(1) substituted (1.12.1997 in specified cases and for specified purposes and otherwise in accordance with art. 2(2)(3)(5) of S.I. 1997/2668) by 1997 c. 32, ss. 43, 47(3), Sch. 7 para. 57(3); S.I. 1997/2668, art. 2, Sch. Pt. II(w)(z)(xxxiv)

F2 Words in Sch. 2 para. 23(1) inserted (1.1.2014) by The Capital Requirements Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/3115), reg. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 35(a)

F3 Sch. 2 Pt. III para. 23(3)(4) substituted (1.12.1997 in specified cases and for specified purposes and otherwise in accordance with art. 2(2)(3)(5) of S.I. 1997/2668) by 1997 c. 32, ss. 43, 47(3), Sch. 7 para. 57(4); S.I. 1997/2668, art. 2, Sch. Pt. II(w)(z)(xxxiv)

F4 Words in Sch. 2 para. 23(4)(b) inserted (20.3.2003) by The Building Societies Act 1986 (Electronic Communications) Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/404), arts. 1(1), 30(7)(a)

F5 Sch. 2 para. 23(5A)-(5C) inserted (1.1.2014) by The Capital Requirements Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/3115), reg. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 35(b)

F6 Words in Sch. 2 para. 23(6)(b) inserted (20.3.2003) by The Building Societies Act 1986 (Electronic Communications) Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/404), arts. 1(1), 30(7)(b)

F7 Sch. 2 para. 23(6)(bb) inserted (20.3.2003) by The Building Societies Act 1986 (Electronic Communications) Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/404), arts. 1(1), 30(7)(c)

F8 Words in Sch. 2 para. 23(6)(bb) substituted (12.4.2011) by The Mutual Societies (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/593), arts. 1(1), 3(2)(a)

F9 Words in Sch. 2 para. 23(6)(c) substituted (20.3.2003) by The Building Societies Act 1986 (Electronic Communications) Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/404), arts. 1(1), 29(3)(c)