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I have started to make yearly FoI requests to my LA about spending on Barristers for SEN appeals. A recent convo made me think about how they use their solicitors to run appeals. I feel a further FoI coming on. I believe their sols are an LA-owned but separate company. Hmmm
If the solicitors are not quite in-house, does it mean they charge full market rate, rather than a council hourly wage? Just musing as a school informed me they'd paid 2k to use them. They didn't get a lot from that 2k, imho, so market rates???
I'm thinking about the true cost of opposing appeals, esp 'small' ones, those where the cost of opposing is more than what is being sought. Too many appeals are going to full hearing. It seems that too many people are involved, so info/requests go up and down a long chain
The trouble with long chains are that it is all tax-payers expense and ties up over-stretched staff. If I could talk directly to a decision-maker, it would cut 3/4 people out & potentially resolve many cases.
I very much prefer to resolve 'small' appeals. I expect LAs in general to oppose more complex ones. I just don't understand why more LAs do not seek to resolve more cases in a swift and cost-effective manner.
