Appeal our decision

If your application for travel assistance is refused or you are not happy with our decision, you can request a Stage 1 Officer Review.

An officer review involves a senior officer reviewing the original decision that resulted in the application being refused. This may result in the decision being upheld.

Parents wishing to complain about the service provided should use the Council’s complaints procedure.

How to request a Stage 1 review by an officer

A parent, carer or learner has 20 working days from the date of the decision letter to make a formal request for an officer review.

The request must be submitted on a Stage 1 appeal form and the request should detail why the parent, carer or learner believes the decision should be reviewed, providing details of any exceptional individual or family circumstances, including medical evidence, they believe should be considered.

Within 20 working days of receiving the formal request for an officer review, a senior officer will review the original decision. You will then receive a detailed written notification of the outcome, by email. If you are still unhappy with our decision, you may want to escalate the matter to Stage 2.

How to request a Stage 2 review by an independent appeal panel

A parent, carer or learner has 20 working days from the date of receiving the Stage 1 outcome decision letter to escalate the matter to Stage 2.

The request must be submitted on a Stage 2 appeal form and the request should detail why the parent, carer or learner believes the decision should be reviewed, providing details of any exceptional individual and family circumstances, including medical evidence, they believe should be considered.

Within 40 working days of receiving your request for a Stage 2 review, an independent appeal panel will be arranged, and the parent or carer will be invited to attend so that they can provide their views in person. The independent panel will consider written representation from the parent or carer and officers involved in the case.

Within 10 working days of the Stage 2 review taking place, parents or carers will be notified of the outcome by email.

If parents or carers are unhappy with the decision, they can make an official complaint to the Council by following the Council’s complaints procedure.

Following this, and if parents or carers remain unhappy, they can refer the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman for a review into how the Council reached its decision.