What is Companies House UK

Companies House UK
The main functions of Companies House UK are to:
(1) incorporate and dissolve limited companies;
(2) examine and store company information delivered under the Companies Act and related legislation; and
(3) make this information available to the public.

The Registrar of Companies House UK
The Registrar of Companies for England and Wales, and Chief Executive of Companies House UK is Claire Clancy. Her office is based at Companies House UK in Cardiff. The Registrar of Companies for Scotland is Jim Henderson and his office is based at Companies House UK in Edinburgh. There is also an Information Centre in London.


History
The United Kingdom has enjoyed a system of company registration since 1844. Today, company registration matters are dealt with in law, by the Companies Act 1985 and the updating legislation contained in the Companies Act 1989.

All limited companies in the UK are registered at Companies House UK, an Executive Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. There are more than 1.8 million limited companies registered in Great Britain, and more than 300,000 new companies are incorporated each year at Companies House UK.

Companies House UK Board & Management
Companies House UK is an Executive Agency of The Department of Trade and Industry. The Minister responsible for Companies House UK is the Right Honourable Gerry Sutcliffe MP. The agency also has Trading Fund status which allows the Agency to directly management it's own finances. The Chief Executive is responsible to the Secretary of State for the day to day running of the Agency.

Companies House UK has a Board of Directors and a Steering Board made up of senior DTI personnel, independent members from the private sector and supported by Companies House UK Directors. The Steering Board meets quarterly to provide advice on the governance of the agency, in particular its corporate plan, targets and performance. Its composition reflects our aim of drawing on best practice from the public and private sectors.


Contact Companies House UK
Main Office
Companies House
Crown way
Maindy
Cardiff
CF 14 3UZ


Edinburgh
Companies House
37 Castle Terrace
Edinburgh
EH1 2EB

London
Companies House Executive Agency
21 Bloomsbury Street
London
WC1B 3XD


Companies House UK Contact Centre
The principal route for all general enquiries is the Contact Centre. The Contact Centre staff have extensive experience of Companies House UK products, services and operations. They will normally provide an immediate answer to your query but if they are unable to provide an answer they will transfer you to someone who can.

You can get in touch with the Companies House UK Contact Centre on 0870 33 33 636 or by email at enquiries@companies-house.gov.uk lines are open 08:30- 18:00 UK time Monday to Friday with the exception of National holidays.