The mother, referred to as Ms B, had appealed the council’s decision to deny her school transport costs for her teenage son, who has disabilities and attends the post-16 section of a special needs school.
Ms B told the local goverment and social care ombudsman (LGO) that she had spent more than £7,000 covering the costs, and complained that the council refused to backdate the money she had paid for her son’s transport while her appeal was being considered.
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Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: Special Report
LGO Paul Najsarek found that the council took too long to reach its initial decision on the family’s school transport application, and found faults in the council’s consideration of the appeal.
He found that the appeals information provided by the council on its website was flawed, due to a faulty link to the appeals process.
The length of time taken to consider the appeal was also criticised by the LGO’s report, which states that provision was not put in place until three months after the appeal was made, resulting in significant financial costs for Ms B.
The report adds that the council should have told Ms B about the difficulties it was having in securing transport and should have paid for the transport she had arranged as an alternative.
Najsarek said: “When carrying out assessments and appeals for any services, councils need to ensure transparency, timeliness and accountability. But in this case Leicestershire’s school transport process was beset by delay and a lack of clear information.”
Leicestershire County Council has accepted the ombudsman’s recommendations, including a reimbursement of the transport costs incurred by the family and an additional £500 payment in recognition of the distress caused by the council’s poor handling of the application and appeal.
The LGO’s report also recommends the council updates its website with accurate information for transport applicants, and that it meets the costs of transport where it is being arranged and paid for by parents, in the event that council-arranged provision is delayed.
A council spokesperson said: “We fully accept the findings of the LGO. We’ve apologised to the family and we’re now actively working on addressing the other recommendations set out. We take all complaints extremely seriously and improvements in our processes are now being put in place.”
Najsarek added: “I am pleased Leicestershire County Council has taken on board my findings, and hope the changes it has agreed to make to its application and appeal process will ensure other children and young people with disabilities will not be adversely affected in future.”
