Decision

Delegated Officer Decision to proceed with completion and signing of the Grant Funding Agreement, between Buckinghamshire Council and the Satellite Applications Catapult for the National Autonomy and Drone Innovation Centre (NADIC) project at Westcott Venture Park, Buckinghamshire.

Reasons for the decision

At the Cabinet meeting on 28th July 2026, the £2.25m Grant funding for the Satellite Applications Catapult NADIC project was approved subject to conditions being met, including the Finance Officer recommendation for the Council to obtain independent legal advice relating to UK Subsidy Control.

The independent legal advice provided by Bevan Brittan LLP, advised the Council grant should be treated as a ‘subsidy’, and also recommended the ‘Viability Gap Assessment’, should be reviewed by the Council’s responsible Finance Officer (S151), to ensure satisfactory compliance with the chosen UK Subsidy Control streamline route.

The Council’s Finance team have reviewed the assessment and supporting assumptions and commissioned an external report from Hewdon Consulting to assess the assessment to determine whether the proposed Grant does not exceed the Project's viability gap for the purposes of the Scheme. Following its review of the Report, the Council considers that the Grant does not exceed the viability gap for the purposes of the Scheme.

Alternative options considered

Not applicable, the subsidy review process is a legal requirement for investment.