A Community Benefit Society is a type of limited company that is regulated by the FCA, and must follow strict regulations. It can issue shares, but these shares cannot be traded (except by sale back to the Society). Each shareholder (not each share) carries one vote. As such the Society cannot be sold or come under the control of one or more major shareholders. The Society can pay a reasonable rate of return to shareholders – under the scrutiny of the FCA – and must invest any remaining surplus income into defined projects that benefit the community