East Devon Council spent more than £60,000 on personal injury compensation claims over five years

East Devon District Council spent more than £60,000 on successful personal injury compensation claims over the past five years.

Six successful claims forced the council to pay out £60,192.98 in the last five years.

Councils across Devon have paid out more than half a million pound in the last five years in personal injury compensation claims, an FOI report from Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Clark has revealed.

Freedom of Information Requests were sent to East Devon District Council, Devon County Council, Torbay Council, and the seven other district councils were asked for information about personal injury compensation claims.

The requests asked for how many were successful and the largest amount claimed and what it was for.

In total, £574,431.14 has been paid out by councils, the responses from the ten councils revealed.

East Devon District Council has paid out £60,192.98 in successful claims made in the last five years, in six separate claims.

The largest was a payout for £19,840 after the claimant slipped on water in the lobby area of a council property.

Other successful payouts were for £19,665 after someone skateboarding on park ramps fell onto the ramp and injured their face, mouth and teeth, £10,799 after someone tripped and fell on a mossy tarmac path, £4,236 after a trip over a chain not visible in the dark, £3,904 after a council employee slipped on an uneven slippery step and fell during a fire drill, and £1,748.47 after someone slipped on leaking water on the 8th tee at a golf course.

The council has confirmed that as a result of the injured sustained during the fire drill, actions have been taken so that before practice fire drills, the external escape route should be checked for hazards, times of day to be varied to allow any overnight frost or ice to thaw, dates of the practice fire drills may be moved to Spring and Autumn to avoid potentially extreme weather and first aiders to be issued with green tabards to wear during emergencies.

A further 23 claims made were unsuccessful with 16 still outstanding, including a claim for £60,000 after someone tripped and fell in a pothole.

A spokesperson for East Devon District Council said: "All claims are handled by our insurers and they make the relevant assessment about what is appropriate in all the circumstances."

For context, please find below the figures from Devon's other councils:

-Exeter City Council has paid out £266,725.90 across 17 successful claims in the last five years.

-Teignbridge District Council has paid out £35,605.30 in 11 successful claims that took place in the last five years.

-West Devon Borough Council paid out just one successful claim for an incident that took place in 2016, paying out £11,197.

-South Hams District Council has paid out £124,956.38 in claims in the last five years.

-North Devon Council has paid out £25,326.78 in the last five years in eight successful claims.

-Mid Devon District Council has paid out £50,426.80 in successful claims over the past five years in five successful claims.

-Torridge District Council confirmed that they had received nine personal injury claims in the last five years, of which four were successful, but said that they were unable to provide financial amounts due to the individuals being able to be recognised and therefore it is exempt from disclosure.

-Devon County Council confirmed that in the last five years, 1,033 claims for personal injury against the council were made, of which, 127 were successful. But the council claimed that they were unable to provide any specific information relating to claim values that could identify injuries and therefore identify the claimant as it is personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 2018 and disclosure of this information is therefore exempt pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

-Torbay Council confirmed that while they hold the information asked for, they said that it would take more than the 18 hour limit to provide the details and therefore could not provide the information.