Morning, Friday, 14th November 2025
Online
This conference will focus on next steps for the UK subsidy control regime, examining implementation of regulatory reform, and implications for investment and competition in the internal market.
With the Competition and Markets Authority reviewing the impact of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 on competitiveness and investment, it will be an opportunity to discuss if further amendments may be needed to legislation, as well as wider considerations for policy, regulation and implementation.
Reform & implementation
Bringing together stakeholders with policymakers, it follows the Government publishing its response to consultation on refining the subsidy control regime, confirming that subsidies will only need to be referred once they pass a higher threshold, and that new tailored routes will be created for arts, culture and community regeneration. Delegates will assess priorities for the design and implementation of new streamlined routes and implications for public authorities of amended referral thresholds, including how they can be used to reduce administrative burdens.
The conference will examine how these changes are being implemented by public authorities, their impact on case volumes and referral decisions, and how they might affect audit, assurance, and internal governance processes. Discussion will also consider how local authorities and cultural bodies can apply the routes consistently, as well as priorities for encouraging uptake, ensuring clarity for enterprises, and reducing resource burden.
Delivery capability, local implementation & dispute resolution
Further discussion will focus on local authority capacity and expertise in administering subsidies, including how reforms might alter delivery, governance, and programme design. Areas for discussion include institutional capability, clarity in applying guidance, and the effect of evolving transparency requirements on internal processes.
Attendees will examine issues around reputational and legal risk, including scrutiny from the Subsidy Advice Unit and outcomes from recent and pending tribunal cases.
Sessions will also consider early indications from recent case law, alongside the evolving role of the Subsidy Advice Unit and the Competition Appeal Tribunal in ensuring legal clarity and confidence in the regime. Delegates will look at how risk is being managed across public authorities, examining internal governance processes that support compliance, and how confidence in the regime can be strengthened - including approaches to better communication of enforcement expectations and tribunal outcomes.
Local growth, widening the scope & international competitiveness
Further sessions will assess the future direction of the framework across sectors and regions, and its role in supporting wider priorities, including green investment, industrial development, and place-based regeneration. The newly adopted EU State Aid Framework and its relevance for UK authorities and enterprises will also be discussed, particularly around implications for pricing and market competitiveness in sectors such as clean energy, industrial decarbonisation, and manufacturing.
The agenda will also consider how the subsidy framework in the UK might contribute to net zero ambitions and delivery of the Industrial Strategy’s priority sector missions, particularly in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital and life sciences, as well as alignment with the UK Trade Strategy’s objectives on smart trade facilitation and export support.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from the HM Treasury; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Health and Social Care; Competition and Markets Authority; and National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.
