York Cut Down on Accident Compensation Payouts

In the past six years, York council has pain out over £1 million in compensation. The number of claims against the council had been steadily rising since the early nineties. In 1999, the council paid out a massive £607,000 in compensation.

The majority of claims have been concerning slip and trip accidents in public places. Mostly these types of claims involve loose or cracked paving stones which have led to tripping causing injury.

Some have blamed the supposed compensation culture which is said to be sweeping our nation. Others feel that the council is to blame for their poor maintenance of public roads and pavements.

The council had no system for checking and repairing pavements and potholes regularly, so was largely to blame for the high number of slip and trip accidents on the streets of York.

With each claim the council was forced to pay out as it had no defence. The roads of York were in a poor condition and not enough was being done to sufficiently maintain them.

As more successful claims were brought and people continued to have accidents due to the negligence of the council, it became apparent that something needed to be done.

David Walker, the council’s head of risk, insurance and procurement services, realised that something needed to be done to protect the public and save the council from regularly paying out for compensation claims.

“As we got to the end of the 1990s, there were a huge number of claims coming into us,” says David Walker. “We realised we needed to do something to address the issue.”

In a bid to rectify the situation, in 2000, the council hired two highway safety inspectors whose jobs were to regularly patrol and inspect the city’s streets. They report back on any cracked or loose paving stones or open potholes that required attention and repairing.

Hiring just two safety inspectors has made a dramatic difference to the amount of compensation paid out. Every year since, bar 2005, compensation payouts have fallen.

2007 marked a landmark for the council, with less than half the amount of claims made than six years ago when the new system was introduced. The monetary amount in payout had also fallen hugely, by 2007, only £69,000 was paid out in compensation, compared to the £607,000 paid out in the year before the two safety inspectors were hired.

The main reason for the reduction in the number of claims made is that less people are hurting themselves, which is surely the best outcome for everyone. However there are worries that the council is now refusing to pay out for people who have genuinely hurt themselves.

While in 2000, over half of all claims made resulted in compensation payouts, last year less than 10% of claims resulted in a pay out.

Mr Walker vehemently denies this, saying that reports from safety inspectors by the councils insurers have always been used to check the validity of claims. “There are still genuine claims, where we genuinely have been negligent, and if we are liable, we will pay.” Says Mr Walker.