Now that the UK has left the EU, the rules on what we know as ‘State Aid’ have changed. State aid is now referred to as a ‘Subsidy’.
A subsidy is a financial contribution using public resources which confers a benefit on the recipient. This could include, for example, a cash payment, a loan with interest below the market rate or a loan guarantee. Subsidies are administered by all levels of government in the UK including central government, devolved administrations and local authorities, as well as other types of public authority.
Subsidies should be given in the public interest, to promote a social good or address economic issues. For example, a subsidy could incentivise businesses to undertake research and development that increases economic productivity and wider prosperity, or to increase the uptake of low carbon
technology.
However, without proper controls, subsidies could potentially cause economic harm or distortive effects, for instance, by giving unfair advantage to one enterprise over their competitors.
To comply with the new requirements, we must ascertain the amount of State support (public funding via public monies) an applicant has received in the current and last two financial periods.
Please can you confirm and provide details of all public funding ( e.g. grants, cash payments, loan or guarantee) your organisation (and any subsidiary organisation) has received or has yet to receive from all public bodies (e.g. Local Authority, Central Government, NHS, National Lottery distributors, members of the NDA group, Copeland Community Fund etc) in the:
(i)
current financial year; and
(ii)
the two previous financial years?
If you require more information on the Subsidy Regime,
please see Overview
of the subsidy control regime – a flexible, principles-based approach for the
UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)