Council paid out £1.8MILLION compensation for just ONE pothole
GETTY Somerset County Council paid out more than £2.1million in pothole compensation last year
The eye-watering figure was awarded in compensation after an accident involving a pothole on one of its roads. Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request show during the 2016-17 financial year, a massive £2,137,167 was spent by Somerset County Council. And the shocking figure does not include legal fees incurred by the authority. The staggering payout was one of 31 compensation claims Somerset County Council awarded in the 2016-17 financial year.
Taxpayers in Somerset will reasonably think they had misread the enormous size of this James Price
The largest compensation - £1,836,000 - was awarded after "general damages to a third party following an accident involving a pothole defect". The council told the Somerset County Gazette that, because of legal reasons, it could not give further details. County councils across the UK are responsible for maintaining highways within their boundaries, but 2015 research by insurance firm Liverpool Victoria estimated there were more than 30,000 un-repaired potholes on British roads. James Price, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the compensation figures showed levels of “waste” and “inefficiency” across local authorities.
Worst UK Potholes Wed, February 15, 2017 Potholes are a huge problem in the UK causing accidents and expensive repair jobs. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 15 Large pot hole in the road.
He said: “Taxpayers in Somerset will reasonably think they had misread the enormous size of this. “How so much could be spent speaks to the high levels of waste and inefficiency across councils. “We are lucky to have FoI requests to find this information out and force the council to do better.” Figures revealed in the FoI also show the amount needed for compensation claims is on the rise.
In 2014-15, just £171,425 was awarded to 28 claimants. Of these, 15 were related to poor conditions of roads. The following year, £895,716 was paid out to 33 claimants, only 13 of which were road related. Research by the RAC Foundation in 2016 found the average value of a pothole claim was £432, and the average actually paid out in successful claims was £306. For a successful pothole compensation claim, the claimant needs to prove the council has been negligent or failed to fulfil its legal duties.
GETTY The average payout for a successful pothole claim is £306, according to research