Louis Gardner controversy over Cornwall Council Spaceport grant

Louis Gardner, a former Cornwall Council cabinet member and councillor for Newquay Central & Pentire, resigned from his role as head of future air and space at Spaceport Cornwall after it emerged he had approved a £200,000 council grant to the project while already negotiating a job there. He later took a position as chief operating officer of Open Skies Network, an air‑space infrastructure provider, and a confidential settlement agreement was signed between Cornwall Airport Ltd and Gardner following his departure.

Councillor Andrew Mitchell has called for a full investigation into how Gardner obtained the two roles and the undisclosed payout, describing the arrangement as unacceptable. In response, Cornwall Council withdrew the £200,000 funding and faces scrutiny over the breach of its code of conduct.