Council pays £4.5m for claims in 5 years

YORKSHIRE’S BIGGEST council has paid out more than £4.5m in personal injury compensation in the past five years, it has been revealed.

Leeds Council received 3,393 personal injury compensation claims from the years 2014/15 to 2018/19, according to figures obtained via a freedom of information request.

And around one third – 1,198 claims – were successful, the figures show. The council also spent significant sums contesting the claims, although these have reduced in recent years.

The council claims a number of factors – including climate change – could explain the falling number of payouts. The statistics show a total of £4,504,870 across five years, reducing each year from £1,352,726 paid out in 2014/15 to £262,207 in 2018/19.

The authority said claims typically relate to accidents on roads, employee accidents in the workplace and injuries to schoolchildren.

Meanwhile, the council also spent £328,305 on legal costs contesting the claims. The legal costs fell from £104,568 in 2014/15 to just £6,254 in 2018/19.

A response from the authority claimed there may be “a number of factors” as to why the amount of claims has reduced.

It said: “The council has a very experienced and active health and safety team who will pinpoint areas of concern as and when they arise, giving advice to council services going forward which helps them to avoid a recurrence of hazardous situations.

“Recent legislation has reduced the amount of costs claimable for minor accidents so the numbers have fallen away as solicitors no longer make as much profit out of smaller claims. As climate changes, milder winters reduce the number of pothole claims. Finally, claimants have up to three years in which to lodge their claims so we may still receive claims for the more recent years.”