Council forced to pay almost £450,000 over trips and slips

Renfrewshire Council has forked out almost £450,000 in compensation to people who have slipped or tripped on roads and footpaths in the past five years.

Across 177 claims between 2015 and 2019, council bosses have been forced to pay out £448,741.18 to people who injured themselves as a result of uneven pavements, ice and other faults on highways and paths.

And with 39 claims yet to be finalised – three of which have been outstanding since 2016 – council coffers could still take an even bigger hit.

Renfrewshire Council said it was not unusual for claims from four years ago to still be open as they can take significant time to be resolved, especially if they end up going to court or medical evidence needs to be obtained.

Bosses also highlighted they had committed to a multi-million pound investment in improving roads and footways.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We have committed to investing £40m in our roads and footways which is improving their usability and safety for motorists and pedestrians in Renfrewshire.

“We continually monitor the condition of our roads and footways through inspections and reports from members of the public and make repairs on a priority basis, with the aim of undertaking high quality, long-lasting repairs on each occasion.”

The largest payout came in 2015, when the council had to cough up £137,651.52 to 38 claimants, with the majority having fallen or tripped on a footway running alongside a highway.

In 2016, a total of £129,355.16 was paid out to 60 claimants. The claims included cases where people had slipped near community centres and in car parks.

So far £88,892.90 has been awarded to 31 claimants for incidents in 2017, including compensation for someone injuring themselves after slipping on ice. There are two claims still outstanding from this year.

Across 37 claims in 2018, the council has shelled out another £80,061.60, while a total of £12,780 has been paid out so far for 11 incidents last year.

There are still 28 claims outstanding from last year, and six from 2018.

The council is responsible for maintaining 849km of roads and 1,176km of footpath.

By Local Democracy Reporter Stephanie Brawn