RIGHTS AND ISSUES INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (the "Company")
ADJOURNMENT OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
On 25th March 2020 it was announced that the Annual General Meeting of the Company would be adjourned to 24th June 2020 following the introduction of UK Government guidance on social distancing and the prohibition of non-essential travel and public gatherings in the light of the worsening situation with COVID-19 (Coronavirus). That announcement indicated that the adjourned Annual General Meeting would be held at the Grid Iron Building, 8th Floor, Number One Pancras Square, Pancras Road, Kings Cross, London, N1C 4AG.
As the current situation with Covid-19 (Coronavirus) evolves, the Company continues to closely monitor Public Health England advice and guidelines on holding large public events and gatherings, as well as travel bans and any potential impact to public transport in London.
Based on UK Government advice and legislation at the time of writing, the Board has decided to make some changes to the format of and matters to be dealt with at the Annual General Meeting this year:
- The meeting will now be held at EFS Head Office, Leeds Container Base, Valley Farm Way, Stourton, Leeds LS10 1SE at 12 noon on 24th June 2020. A formal notice of the adjourned Annual General Meeting, as required by the Company's Articles of Association, was sent to shareholders on 20th May 2020. A copy of the notice has been submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority and is available for inspection at the National Storage Mechanism, which is located at:
https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism
A copy of the notice is also available on the Company's website, which is located at:
https://www.maitlandgroup.com/investment-trusts/rights-and-issues-investment-trust-plc/
- In accordance with the UK's lockdown measures, shareholders will be prohibited from attending in person.
- As explained in the announcement on 25th March 2020, on 24th March 2020 the Board approved the payment of a second interim dividend of 21.5 pence per Ordinary share for the financial year ended 31st December 2019, which was paid to shareholders on 3rd April 2020, and as a consequence Resolution 3 in the original notice of Annual General Meeting dated 21st February 2020 has been withdrawn and any votes cast in relation to the withdrawn Resolution 3 will therefore be ignored.
- Unlike previous years, the Annual General Meeting will comprise the formal business part of the meeting only - that is the formal resolutions and not a wider discussion about business performance or Q&A.
Should shareholders wish to ask the Board any questions prior to the Annual General Meeting, we request that they do so either by email to: cosec@maitlandgroup.com or by post, by writing to the Company Secretary, Rights and Issues Investment Trust PLC, at Maitland Administration Services Limited, Hamilton Centre, Rodney Way, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3BY. Responses to the questions will be posted to the Company's website as soon as possible after the Annual General Meeting.
Shareholders are reminded of and encouraged to use their right to appoint the Chairman of the Annual General Meeting as their proxy to attend the meeting and vote on their behalf.
Forms of proxy sent to shareholders with the notice of meeting dated 21st February 2020 will remain valid for the adjourned meeting. Shareholders who have already submitted a form of proxy are not required to submit a new form of proxy unless they wish to change instructions given to their proxies or change the identity of the proxy that they are appointing. If more than one valid proxy form is submitted, the most recently deposited proxy form will be the only proxy form accepted by the Company.
Forms of proxy on blue paper, together with the Company's Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019, were sent with the notice of adjourned meeting to shareholders on the register on 15th May who were not shareholders on the register on 21st February 2020.
3rd June 2020
Enquiries:
Maitland Administration Services Limited
01245 398 950
