Council saves tax payers millions in compensation claim payouts

Council saves tax payers millions in compensation claim payouts

Hundreds of people attempting to make a compensation claim against Glasgow council have had their claims rejected in a crackdown against spurious claimants.

In the last few years the council has seen a sharp rise in the number of personal injury claims against land services (roads), receiving around 1000 claims in the two years leading up to March 2005. Doubting the legitimacy of all of these claims the council has adopted a ‘firmer, but fairer’ approach, which it believes will save tax pays millions of pounds in payouts.

It has appointed a specially trained claims handling team in its risk management, insurance and claims section, who are applying new evaluation methods with improved inspection systems and more detailed investigations. About 80% of all injury claims are now rejected

Steven Purcell, the council leader, said: ‘Not every claim is false and if we make a mistake it is obviously correct that we should pay compensation. However, it is also only right that we defend ourselves from incorrect claims.’

Glasgow joins Manchester as one of the leading councils in resisting vexatious compensation claims. The authority has cut the budget it assigns to compensation payouts by several million pounds in the last few years.

Rebecca Pearson from Hill and Abbott solicitors www.the-claim-solicitors.co.uk, a personal injury firm who helps people who have been involved in accidents in the UK, make claims against the person or organisation responsible, commented, ‘We welcome any action that companies and Councils take to eliminate fraudulent and fictitious claims. People who have legitimate claims for compensation, where it can be proved that a company, Council or individual was responsible for causing an accident in which someone was injured, are genuinely entitled to be compensated for any pain and suffering they have experienced and also claim back any financial losses they have incurred as a the result of the accident.’

ENDS

Notes for editors. Hill and Abbott are a leading personal injury law firm, providing free and impartial legal advice to people who have been injured in accidents caused by other people, who are looking to make a claim for compensation.
For more information call Rebecca Pearson at Hill and Abbott 0800 197 32 32, or visit www.the-claim-solicitors.co.uk