Questions at Member Forum September 2025

At Member forum on 09 September 2025, two councillors had questions about the costs around the independent spying investigation.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Varney, Brislington West asked

1. Recently, the Children and Young People’s Policy Committee voted to finally hold an independent investigation into the SEND spying scandal three years after Full Council
   first called for one. However, many people are dismayed to learn that the cost of the
   investigation will likely come from the already stretched SEND budget, which could
   potentially have a negative impact on SEND families. What is the expected cost of the
   investigation, and is it possible to fund it from a different budget that will not affect the
   council’s delivery of SEND services?
   
   Written response for publication:

1. This is an investigation into SEND services and therefore it is correct that costs are
   allocated to the SEND service. However there will be no impact upon families – as we have a
   statutory duty to provide services where need has been assessed.
2. .The full cost will depend on the Terms of Reference and the lead investigator

Labour Councillor Bailes, Hartcliffe and Withywood Ward asked about Send Tribunals:

How much did the council spend on legal fees and the costs of appealing EHCPs / taking
cases to tribunal in the 2024/25 municipal year? Please include associated council officer
time in the figures.

The People’s Scrutiny Committee used to receive regular updates on the number of tribunal
cases brought against the council, however, the Children and Young People’s Committee
does not. Please provide an update on the number of tribunal cases from May 2024 until
today?

Written response for publication:

1. It is not possible to provide a figure for 2024/25, as legal fees and tribunal-related costs
   are not recorded in a way that allows for detailed breakdowns. Officer time is not
   systematically recorded in a way that enables accurate cost attribution per tribunal
   case. Each appeal varies significantly in complexity and duration, and current systems
   do not capture the time spent by individual officers across different stages of the
   process.
2. From May 2024 to August, the council has received 47 appeals.

The supplementary question she followed up with was about spying costs rather than tribunal costs.

Forum Member Papers