Injury Claims Cost Bucks Council £200k Over Five Years
Bucks Council has paid £200,000 for injury claims in five years, with 431 claims settled out of over 5,200 received.
Bucks, Council, Injury Claims, Compensation, Taxpayers
Bucks: The council has paid out £200,000 for injury claims over five years. They received 5,207 claims but only settled 431 of them.
In 2024, compensation payments reached £18,034.68. In 2023, they were much higher at £117,626.41.
Other years had similar totals: £22,670.96 in 2022, £32,003.83 in 2021, and £14,827.93 in 2020.
The council tracks claims based on where incidents happen, like roads or paths. However, they can’t break down the specific incidents.
They mentioned that claims could involve various situations, like pedestrians or cyclists. The data was obtained through freedom of information requests.
Legal experts asked the council to clarify if claims were due to potholes or other issues. Susan Morgan, the opposition leader, noted more claims in 2023.
She pointed out that some claims had high payouts, raising questions about the reasons behind this. Taxpayers might not understand how their money is spent.
She expressed concerns about transparency and the council’s spending decisions. The council has been asked for further comments.