EastSheenMatters

The Question put was

Given the widely reported national statistics that there is about 97% success rate of appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal against local authority decisions, will the Council state how many appeals were successful of the forty-seven Richmond upon Thames cases featuring in the Ministry of Justice statistics published in March 2025.

Answer from the Chair of the Education Committee

Of the 47 cases lodged with the First Tier Tribunal in 2024 17 were conceded by the local authority. A negotiated settlement was reached with parents in 22 cases and seven cases were withdrawn by the parents.

So effectively in 40 of 47 cases the child was deprived of a service to which they were entitled. A key question is when they were settled, given the usual time lapses between the parents’ first claim for support, the initiation of proceedings, directions hearings and final hearings.

We are hoping to hear more detail on those matters.

Scroll down for details

This question will be put to the meeting of the full Richmond upon Thames Council this Tuesday evening. Venue York House Twickenham 7pm

Given the widely reported national statistics that there is about 97% success rate of appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal against local authority decisions, will the Council state how many appeals were successful of the forty-seven Richmond upon Thames cases featuring in the Ministry of Justice statistics published in March 2025.

Since the Mortlake Mash up on 15 March 2025

• The STAG brewery residential development has been approved
• The DFE has still not confirmed whether they will fund the STAG
  secondary school
• Barnes Hospital site development has started, a special needs
  school and hospital providing outpatient adult mental health
  services are expected to open in September 2027. The
  residential development site is expected to start demolition in
  August.
• The Community Fund for the East of the Borough currently has
  £413,000 available for projects. This will increase over the next
  few years as the large developments, like STAG progress. There
  are also dedicated S106 funds for some community projects.

Resident priorities have been collated under seven theme headings:

Community

Safety

Environment

Infrastructure

Young People

Enterprise

Connectivity

Ideas for each theme to follow.

A meeting for potential volunteers on 9 July 2025

6:30-8:15pm in Mortlake Hall, facilitated by the Mash Up team

Process
• Prioritise greatest needs first
• Identify projects with greatest impact and support
• Discuss with Council/Councillors/local residents and interest groups ..
• Identify resources: Council, volunteers, funding grants

Co-ordination and Communication

• MCA to seek funding for a part-time Mash Up co-ordinator to support project teams,
  and share best practice
• Create an on-line resource which all working groups can draw on ..
  
  “If more people mention it, then it will happen!”

Worth a look