The directors of the company, as those of all UK companies, must act in accordance with a set of general duties. These duties are set out in section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 and can be summarised as follows:

A director of a company must act in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and in doing so have regard (amongst other matters) to:

– The likely consequences of any decision in the long term
– The interests of the company’s employees
– The need to foster the company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others
– The impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment
– The desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct, and
– The need to act fairly as between members of the company.

A new director is briefed on their duties and can access professional advice on these – either through the company or, if they deem it appropriate, through professional advisers.

The company is committed to be a responsible business, and our behaviour is aligned with the expectations of our stakeholders, which include our employees, customers, suppliers, local community and our shareholders. In addition to monthly board meetings, the directors attend off site days annually or whenever the business need arises to discuss the business and its future considering the needs of all its stakeholders.

The directors are committed to supply chain security, and the company holds Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status with HMRC. This has clear benefits for our employees, suppliers and customers in demonstrating that the company operates a safe working environment with full traceability of all goods.

The company’s premises are situated near to some local housing, and the directors take seriously its responsibility to the local community, including a Design Out Crime agreement with Hampshire Constabulary covering site security and build design. The company has a Lorry Routing Management Plan to reduce congestion and its impact on the local road system. In view of its location near to Southampton Airport, it has a Bird Hazard Management Plan agreed with the Civil Aviation Authority to preserve public health and public safety.

The company and its employees have continued to support the Trinity Winchester charity for the care of the homeless.