Derbyshire County Council set to pay more than £1.3m in compensation for personal injury claims

Personal injury claims have cost councils in the East Midlands Combined Authority more than £1.5m in the last year, according to new data uncovered following a Freedom of Information Request by LegalExpert.co.uk.

Out of the combined total of personal injury compensation paid out by East Midlands councils, Derbyshire County Council made up more than 84 per cent of that figure – paying a total £1,344,106 for the claims.

It is a significantly bigger figure than the other East Midlands Combined Authorities – as Nottingham City Council has paid £208,184.36, Nottinghamshire County Council - £22,048 and Derby City Council - £10,007.14.

Between April 17, 2022, and April 17, 2023 there have been twelve Employers Liability Claims and nine Public Liability Claims made against the Derbyshire County Council.

These included seven trip slips, one case of being struck by an object, three counts of bullying or assault, three falls from height, two lifting incidents, two accidents and three ‘other’ claims.

The place department at Derbyshire County Council had received 32 personal injury claims during the same time period specified. These included temporary road signs, defective ironworks raised, inadequate lighting, potholes, defective surface, debris and vegetation.

Tony Jennings, senior solicitor at JF Law, which owns the Legal Expert brand, said: "Claims against local highways authorities are more common than you may think.

"If a highway is maintainable at public expense then the local authority or council is responsible for ensuring that a reasonable system of inspection, maintenance and repair is implemented and adhered to.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “Looking at some of the amounts given by other similar councils we do not believe that we have all given the same information. We had several large payments made in the time period requested for cases dating back to the 1970s for asbestos claims, which could also account for the vast difference in the amount we have paid. Some of these cases will be covered by our insurers, so the real cost to tax payers will end up being far smaller.”