One council paid out over £400,000 in accident compensation last year, it has been revealed.
The Bolton News put a Freedom of Information request in with Bolton Council and discovered that £360,00 was paid following claims from members of the public, while £50,000 was issued to members of council staff.
Payments ranging from £850 to £27,000 were issued as injury compensation for trips and falls on council footpaths and pavements, while other accidents included a fall from a chair, tripping on a pothole and tripping over a picnic table. A total of 71 successful claims were made against the council.
A spokesman for the council told the paper, “If we think the case is defendable then we will not pay out and contest the claim in court.”
Indeed, the council stated that it does not pay out on 75 per cent of cases and the amount it has been paying in accident compensation has actually declined over the past few years. In 2008-09, Bolton Council awarded a total of £804,124 in compensation claims. This dipped to £600,000 in 2009-10 and again to around £400,000 in the latest year.