BLACKBURN Rovers will turn from a public limited company to a private one.

The move was yesterday given the green light at a special general meeting of the club’s shareholders at Ewood Park.

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Rovers financial director Mike Cheston said: “All three resolutions were unanimously accepted, the company will now formally register with Companies House in due course.”

When Rovers owners Venky’s bought more than 99 per cent of the Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic plc it was already a stock exchange listed public limited company.

They did not exercise their right to buy out the tiny number of private shareholders, including Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, and in April last year one of those stakeholders, Stephen Halstead, gave part of his holding to the Rovers Trust supporters group.

After notice of the meeting was sent out to shareholders earlier this month, Mr Cheston told the Lancashire Telegraph the reasons behind the change.

He said: “The change is being proposed because the company does not do any of the things that only a PLC can do (such as having shares traded on the Stock Exchange) and so the additional restrictions on PLCs are imposed on the company for no benefit.

“Becoming a private company will allow the company to operate more flexibly and efficiently taking advantage of the rules which apply to all private companies including most other football clubs with which the company is in competition.

“The change to being a private company does not cancel or reduce existing shareholdings. The re-registration does not create any rights for the majority shareholder to acquire shares from the other shareholders.

“The new private company constitution being put to the shareholders for approval maintains the same core objectives as the current constitution; the change is being proposed to make the company easier to operate rather than to make a change in its nature.

“Any change in a club’s constitution is subject to prior FA approval which has been granted in this case.”