Legal Expenditure 2013-2019: Special Educational Needs - Find a freedom of information request

Request

1. What was your total legal expenditure as a Local Authority for each financial year, April – 31 March, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019?

 

2. How much did you spend on outsourced legal services and external counsel for handling and contesting appeals to the Special Educational Needs First-tier Tribunal in each of the years above?

 

3.What was the internal spend on the council’s legal team for handling and contesting appeals to the Special Educational Needs first-tier Tribunal for each of the years above?

 

4.If no estimates are recorded, please provide the number of hours recorded by in-house solicitors related to work on the Special Educational Needs tribunals for each of the years listed above?

Decision

1.

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
£ 3,194,078 £ 3,554,032 £ 3,753,912 £ 4,070,895 £ 4,108,002 £ 4,318,068 £ 4,950,320

 

2. 

2013- 2014 – Not recorded
2014 -2015 – £3,938.00
2015 -2016 – £19,669.70
2016-2017 – £18,646.14
2017-2018 – £41,102.08
2018-2019 – £5,660.30

 

3.

2013-2014 –Not recorded
2014-2015 – Not recorded
2015-2016 - £19,882.62
2016-2017 - £67,799.53
2017-2018 - £83,787.52
2018-2019 - £37,134.17

 

4. Answered above so no need to record hours

Reference number
FOI1395
Date request received
13 March 2020
Date of decision
01 May 2020