Brighton & Hove City Council: the register
Ruling 23 004 544
Folio 318
Finding: Fault found
- Finding recorded by the ombudsman
- Upheld
- Service
- Education: School transport
- Council
- Brighton & Hove City Council
- Body
- Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
- Decided
- Summary
-
Miss X complained about the outcome of a home to school transport appeal for her son, F. The Council was at fault. It accepted it failed to record the panel’s deliberations and show how the panel arrived at its decision to refuse F school transport. It also failed to provide sufficient detail in its decision letter. This caused Miss X and F distress and uncertainty. The Council agreed to apologise to Miss X and hold a fresh stage 2 appeal panel. If it decides to award F with school transport It will also consider whether to make payments to Miss X and F to recognise the injustice caused by its earlier decision.
Summary as published by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Remedies
Words in quotation marks are quoted from the ombudsman’s decision.
States worked out on 9 October 2026.
The ombudsman publishes no entry for a remedy.
| Ordered | Outcome publishedThe ombudsman publishes no entry for a remedy. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | What was ordered | Deadline | Payment | Date | Entry | Payment |
| 1 | ApologyWrite to Miss X and apologise to her for the distress and uncertainty caused by the stage 2 school transport panel’s failure to properly consider her case.Deadline as worded: Within one month of the final decision |
Deadline passed 4 January 2024. Outcome not published. | None | No outcome published by the ombudsman | ||
| 2 | Action for the personCarry out a fresh stage 2 appeal for Miss X and F with a different panel. If the panel decides to award F with school transport it should backdate this award to September 2023.Deadline as worded: Within one month of the final decision |
Deadline passed 4 January 2024. Outcome not published. | None | No outcome published by the ombudsman | ||
| 3 | Service changeRemind all officers who carry out and sit at stage 2 school transport appeal panels, and those who send decision letters of the requirement to consider all of the evidence presented and properly record and evidence how it reached the decision, in line with statutory guidance.Deadline as worded: Within one month of the final decision |
Deadline passed 4 January 2024. Outcome not published. | None | No outcome published by the ombudsman | ||
| 4 | PaymentIf the Council, following the fresh stage 2 school transport appeal panel decides to award F with school transport it should consider making a payment to Miss X for: reimbursement of any unnecessary expenses incurred taking F to secondary school since September 2023 and; any loss of education or provision in line with F’s EHC plan since September 2023 caused as a direct result of being unable to attend school due to the lack of school transport.Deadline as worded: within one month of the panel’s decision |
No deadline stated | Amount not stated | No outcome published by the ombudsman | ||
| Stated payments ordered | None stated | Outcomes published by the ombudsman: none | ||||