Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Tribunals

Good morning,


regarding the legal costs incurred by your authority in relation to SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) tribunals.

 
Specifically, I would like to know:

1) The number of SEND appeals lodged against the council in each of the financial years 2018/2019, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025. 

2) The number of SEND appeals that proceeded to a full tribunal hearing in each of the financial years 2018/2019, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025.

3) Of those appeals, in the financial years 2018/2019, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025, how many were upheld, partially upheld or dismissed?

4) What was the total amount spent on legal fees for SEND tribunal cases for each of the financial years 2018/2019, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025? Please include all associated costs, such as external legal counsel, getting expert witnesses and administrative expenses. 

I can confirm that some of the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. 

 
1) 2019 - 49 appeals
2020 - 88 appeals
2021 - 70 appeals
2022 - 78 appeals
2023 - 125 appeals
2024 - 194 appeals
2025 - 85 appeals as at 18 June 2025


2) Data is not recorded and held for Tribunal appeals in financial years.

3) This information is not available. In line with Tribunal procedure, there are different ways in which appeals conclude depending on the individual circumstances of the case. The Local Authority does not record Tribunal data in this way.


4) £486,407.49