Simplifying UK Subsidy Control: What You Need to Know About the 2025 Update

The UK government has made a significant tweak to the rules governing its subsidy control database, aimed at streamlining processes and reducing bureaucratic burdens. Here's a quick breakdown of what this means:

What's Changed?

On 27th May 2025, the Secretary of State signed off on a new regulation that amends how information about subsidies is recorded. This regulation will officially come into force on 18th June 2025.

The key change is to the Subsidy Control (Subsidy Database Information Requirements) Regulations 2022. Specifically, this update affects regulation 4, which details what information needs to be logged in the subsidy database.

Less Data, Less Hassle

Under the old rules, a public authority had to include extensive details about every subsidy provided under a subsidy scheme. This included numerous data points detailed in regulation 3, such as financial specifics and administrative information.

The 2025 amendment simplifies this. Now, when a subsidy is given as part of a pre-existing subsidy scheme, the authority does not need to include a significant chunk of this information (specifically items listed from (p) to (x) in regulation 3). This change aims to lighten the load on public authorities, allowing them to focus resources elsewhere.

What Stays the Same?

It's important to note that this relaxation of information requirements only applies to subsidies given under existing schemes. If a subsidy is granted outside of these schemes, the full set of information must still be provided as before.

Why This Matters

This update is seen as a way to reduce the administrative impact of subsidy controls on the public sector without significantly affecting the private or voluntary sectors. By cutting down on the data required for certain entries, the government hopes to make the subsidy control system more efficient.

Conclusion

The 2025 amendment to the Subsidy Control regulations marks a move towards a more streamlined approach in managing public subsidies. While it reduces the information burden for subsidies under established schemes, it maintains the integrity and oversight necessary for subsidies given outside these frameworks.

As this change rolls out, it will be interesting to observe its impact on the efficiency of public sector operations and the overall subsidy control landscape in the UK.