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Appeals

Should parents/carers wish to appeal against the council’s decision not to provide travel or against the mode of travel provided they should email SENDTravelSupport@leicester.gov.uk or write to:

Transport Appeals
Special Education Needs Service
Pindar Road
Leicester
LE3 9RN

The council has a 2-stage review and appeals process as recommended by the Department for Education. The timings for responses may be extended if additional time is required to gather supporting information or delayed by school/college holidays. 

Please note that whilst the review and appeal process takes place the parent/carer will remain responsible for arranging and funding for any travel arrangements that a parent/carer may feel is necessary. Throughout the appeals process parents may wish to seek independent advocacy support and advice.

Appeals procedure

The appeals procedure is in two stages:

Stage 1: Review by a Senior Officer of the council

  • A parent/carer has 20 working days from the date of the travel decision letter, to make a formal written request asking for a review of the decision.
  • The written request should detail why the parent/carer or young person believes the decision should be reviewed and give details of any personal and/or family circumstances, including medical evidence, they believe should be considered when making the decision is reviewed.
  • Within 20 working days of receipt of a written request, a Senior Officer will review the original decision and send a detailed written notification of the outcome of their review, including information about how the parent/carer can escalate their case to stage two (if appropriate)

Stage 2: Review by an Independent Appeal Panel

  • If a parent/carer are dissatisfied with the outcome of the review of their case, they have 20 working days from the receipt of their decision letter to make a written request to escalate the matter to stage two.
  • Within 40 working days of receipt of the parent/carer’s written request an Independent Appeal Panel will be arranged to consider both written and (if the parent /carer wishes to attend the panel hearing) verbal representations from both the parent/carer and officers involved in their case.

The Independent Appeal Panel members will be independent of the original decision-making process (but not required to be independent of the local authority) and suitably experienced, to ensure a balance between meeting the needs of the parent/carers and the local authority.

If a parent/carer or student is still not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal, there is no further right of appeal to the council. However, there is still the right to appeal to the Secretary of State or to take independent legal action. 

If a parent/carer or young person feels that their appeal has not been treated fairly or in accordance with the LA’s policy, the Local Government Ombudsman can be contacted for help and advice on:

Telephone: 0300 061 0614 
Website: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman