Council pays out £300,000 in compensation

Posted: August 21, 2015

Posted in: Asbestos Exposure Personal Injury Public Place Accidents Workplace Injuries 

It was revealed, following a Freedom of Information request, that Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council paid out almost £300,000 in compensation to staff between January 2012 and December last year. The biggest payout saw an employee walk away with £28,616 after being exposed to asbestos during employment, with another employee winning £3,000 after falling on hot tarmac.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has already been labeled ‘strapped for cash’ after being told it needs to save £38million by 2018. With claims including £1,000 going to an individual that suffered bruising after being hit by a door, and £300 to a person whose ring became trapped in a door, the council has been criticised for succumbing to a ‘compensation culture’.

“the council must take a stronger approach”

Jonathan Isby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Even aside from the huge payout, this is an extraordinary bill and one that taxpayers can scarcely afford as we try to make savings. The council must take a stronger approach to delivering a safe work environment for staff or risk seeing this bill spiral ever higher.”

It was revealed in April of this year that Sandwell Council paid out £2.7million to members of the public in compensation and legal fees for personal injury claims. The figure was spent settling claims for accidents on the borough’s highways between 2012 and 2014.

If you have suffered an injury at work or in a public place, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us. 

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