Rulebook · Time limit
Council's response to the appeal
The council must send its response to the appeal so the Tribunal receives it, and send a copy to you at the same time. The Tribunal can change this time limit.
- How it is counted
- No later than the 30th working day after the day the council received the appeal: not counting that day, weekends, bank holidays in England, 25 December to 1 January, or any day in August. It must arrive by 5pm.
- Whose date it is
- The council
- What starts it
- The council received the appeal from the SEND Tribunal
- What counts as done
- The council sent its response to the appeal to the Tribunal
- What stops it, with nothing more due
- The council told the Tribunal, before sending its response, that it will not oppose the appeal, or The SEND Tribunal made its order
- Time of day
- By 5pm on the last day
- Type of rule
- Law (Act or Regulations)
- Rule id
council_appeal_response- Rules version
- england-2026.10
- Law as at
- 30 September 2026
Part of how this date is counted is less certain in the law. Check the sources, and the counting note above.
If the date passes
The Tribunal runs its own timetable. It decides what happens when a response is late, and the appeal goes on.
Steps people often take:
- Tell the Tribunal that no response has arrived, quoting the appeal reference.
- Ask the Tribunal whether it will give directions about the late response.
Your own Tribunal dates do not change unless the Tribunal changes them.
Sources
- Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (HESC Chamber) Rules 2008, r 21(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
- Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (HESC Chamber) Rules 2008, r 12(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
- Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (HESC Chamber) Rules 2008, r 12(3)Law (Act or Regulations)
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