See answers to previous information requests

Please provide details of total expenditure incurred by the Local Authority in relation to SEND First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) appeals, for the last five completed financial years:
• 2019/20
• 2020/21
• 2021/22
• 2022/23
• 2023/24
(If finalised figures for 2023/24 are not yet available, please provide the most recent provisional data held.)

For each financial year listed above, please provide total spend (rounded to the nearest £1,000 if necessary) for the following categories:
1. External legal costs
Including but not limited to:
• Payments to solicitors, barristers, or legal firms relating to SEND tribunal cases
• Retainer arrangements for SEND/EHCP tribunal work (please state whether a retainer exists and the annual value)
• Disbursements and associated legal expenses

2. Internal staffing and teams
Including:
• Costs associated with dedicated EHCP tribunal teams, SEND legal teams, or casework teams whose work includes tribunal preparation or attendance
• Where specific tribunal teams do not exist, please provide estimated staffing costs attributable to tribunal-related work (e.g. percentage of role function)

3. Complaints and dispute resolution linked to tribunals
Including:
• Costs associated with formal complaints, dispute resolution, mediation, or pre-tribunal processes where these relate to EHCP appeals

4. Tribunal-related fees and charges
Including:
• Any payments made by the Local Authority in connection with SEND tribunal proceedings, including payments to HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), expert witnesses commissioned for tribunal purposes, or other tribunal-related charges where such costs are borne by the Local Authority

Format of response
Please provide the information in a tabular format, broken down by financial year and by category, preferably in Excel or CSV format.
Where exact figures are not held, please provide:
• The best available estimate, and
• A brief explanation of how the estimate was calculated.

Clarifications
• This request relates only to SEND First-tier Tribunal (SENDIST) appeals under the Children and Families Act 2014.
• If elements of the requested information are not held, please specify which elements and why.
• If you believe parts of this request may exceed the cost limit under section 12, please provide the remaining information that can be disclosed within the limit, rather than refusing the request in full.

Public interest
This information is requested in the public interest to support transparency and understanding of:
• Local Authority expenditure on SEND dispute processes
• The balance of resources between legal contest and early, lawful EHCP provision
• System-level pressures within SEND services