Councils have spent at least £13mn of taxpayers’ money settling damages claims from falls on pavements, Welsh Conservatives revealed today.
Requests for information from Shadow Environment Minister Darren Millar reveal that 12 councils paid out a total of £12,709,910.96 since 2003 to meet the cost of litigation.
One council – Labour-controlled Rhondda Cynon Taff – refused to provide details under the Freedom of Information Act, while figures are still outstanding from the remaining nine local authorities.
Information from Cardiff council also reveals that the local authority has settled 1,095 claims since 1996 at a cost of £7.2mn, an average of £6,575 per claim.
Welsh Conservatives warned that the final bill could be almost double the £13mn figure if all 22 local authorities publish details of successful claims.
Shadow Environment Minister and Clwyd West AM Darren Millar said the figures highlighted the need for the Labour-Plaid Assembly Government to help councils deal with the maintenance backlog on pavements and highways.
Darren Millar AM said:
“Taxpayers have been forced to shoulder an eye-wateringly large bill for compensation.
“While I have no doubt some claims were legitimate this is a huge amount of money to be taken from council budgets.
“It is money which would otherwise be spent on frontline local services, which are themselves facing severe cutbacks and their own financial pressures.
“It also concerns me that Labour-controlled Rhondda Cynon Taff council has used Freedom of Information legislation to deny the public details of how much money they have paid out in compensation.
“It baffles me that they wish to use FoI legislation as a veil of secrecy when so many other councils have freely provided information.”
CONWY
YEAR
TOTAL PAYMENT (£)
NUMBER OF PERSONS OVER 65
2003
229,617
7
2004
219,646
6
2005
92,372
4
2006
7,318
6
2007
0
6
TOTALS
548,953
29
[Source: Conwy County Council arranged by Members’ Research Service]
DENBIGHSHIRE
YEAR
TOTAL PAYMENT (£)
NUMBER OF PERSONS OVER 65
2003
275,701.42
15
2004
83,660.39
6
2005
26,713.66
2
2006
6,894.42
2
2007
0
3
TOTALS
392,969.89
28
[Source: Denbighshire County Council arranged by Members’ Research Service]
embers’ Research Service]