Sandwell Council payouts top £2.7 million in three years

Cash-strapped Sandwell Council stumped up cash for the claims at a time when it has been battling ever tightening budgets.

Deputy leader, Steve Eling, said the council had its own insurance which helped settle claims.

The figures, revealed through a Freedom of Information request, show vast amounts were spent settling claims between 2012 and 2014.

In total £2,760,561.36 was paid out for incidents classed as 'personal injury claims' by the authority during the three year period.

Councillor Eling said: "We live in a society with more and more litigation and personal injury claims and it is inevitable that local authorities are on the receiving end of them.

"The council is covered by its own insurance of course."

Exact details on the accidents are unclear but the incidents are said to have occurred on roads and pavements around the borough.

In 2014, the authority received 149 compensation claims for personal injury.

Total fees including compensation paid out was £729,567.43 over the 12 months.

During the previous year, the council had faced significantly more claims, 197 in total.

This led to legal costs and compensation topping £1,275,575.10 over the period.

In 2012 council bosses had even more claims brought before the authority. In total 203 were made but £755,418.83 was paid out in fees and compensation.

It has also emerged that the council has been forced to fork out cash on so called 'non-injury claims' over the same period.

In 2014, 99 claims were made of this kind with £20,118.17 paid out including compensation.

A total of £16,704.60 was paid out in 2013 from 102 claims to the council and in 2012 the number of non-injury claims was 121 with £20,049.67 in payments.

The Labour-run authority has to make cuts of £63 million by 2017.

Funding from central government has dropped by £122 million in the six years to 2015/16.

Significant pressures have forced the council to make pay outs over a range of issues including its redundancy scheme.

Hundreds of staff have had to be laid off by the authority amid large cutbacks in grants from central government.

This has resulted in redundancy payout of £6m since 2013 at the council based at Oldbury Council House,