compensation

Reporting local life since 1854 37p Friday, May 13, 2011 SEN-eO1-S2 [P] [P] YOUR £5m BILL BY ALEX CAMPBELL [email protected] ALMOST £5 million of taxpayers’ money has been paid out by councils to ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers who have won compensation claims over three years. Figures obtained by The Sentinel show £4 million was paid in compensation to individual claimants by the region’s three main councils. But over the same period, solicitors representing those claimants netted more than £4.7 million in costs. The three-year figures reveal: ■ Stoke-on-Trent City Council has paid £1.7 million compensation to the public and £2.2 million in costs to solicitors; ■ Staffordshire County Council has paid £1.7 million compensation and £1.6 million in legal costs; ■ Cheshire East Council has paid £587,000 in compensation and £856,000 in legal costs. The data reveals scores of cases where legal costs have out-stripped pay-outs. The cases include: ■ A claimant receiving £4,250 for a leg injury on Staffordshire County Council property while the legal firm picked up £18,000; ■ A claimant receiving £17 for an eye injury while the lawyer got £2,480; ■ A claimant who broke a bone on a faulty footpath got £4,000 while their lawyer pocketed £23,000. The data, which contains the most up- to-date three-year figures for each council, has been released as the Govern- ment pledges to tackle Britain’s burgeoning “compensation culture”. Draft legislative changes put forward by Justice Secretary Ken Clarke are set to stop lawyers claiming “success fees” from the losing side in liability cases. Instead, they would receive a share of the damages. But legal firms say the costs are jus- tified because some cases are complex and the current rules help poorer cli- ents make claims. A spokesman for Stoke-on-Trent’s Attwood Solicitors said: “We’re not tak- ing money from local authorities without justification. “A lot of the time, more careful repairs may lead to these claims being avoided.” The figures reveal members of the public made 1,505 claims against the city council between April 2008 and the end of March. Of those, 1,042 were rejected at no cost to the authority. In the same period, 168 claims were made by the council’s employees, with 39 of them knocked back. Paul Simpson, the council’s business services director, said: “Once we have established the legitimacy of all claims, the information is sent to the council’s insurers. They consider all claims on their legal merits and communicate directly with the claimant or the claimant’s solicitors. “The vast majority of claims are rejected, but some unsuccessful claimants do take the council to court and it is then for the court to determine which party is liable, based on the evidence available.” Lawyers defend themselves: See Page 6 True cost of ‘compensation culture’ as lawyers rake it in MICKY’S BACK! BACK PAGE FREE FA Cup bet for EVERY reader PAGE 21 T TH HE E C C O OU UN NT TD DO O W WN N F FI IN NA AL L FIRST CLASS POTTERS HEAD TO WEMBLEY: BACK PAGE Picture: Steve Bould ©NM 15% off senior citizens Salon of the Year 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 20% off students Sponsors of Miss Staffordshire / Miss England 2011 Tel. 01782 286006 www.hair-and-co.com Stafford Street, Hanley Opposite Wilkinson’s Olde Englande Reproductions Ltd Fireplace Works . Normacot Road . Longton Stoke-on-Trent . Staffordshire ST3 1PN 01782 319350 Visit www.oerfireplaces.com for store opening times OER Solid Fuel Specialists Cracking Spring Offers! Save over £240 off this suite

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01782319350 OldeEnglandeReproductionsLtd Reportinglocallifesince1854 Tel.01782286006 Visit www.oerfireplaces.com forstoreopeningtimes BYALEXCAMPBELL Saveover£240 offthissuite 15% 20% FireplaceWorks.NormacotRoad.Longton Stoke-on-Trent.StaffordshireST31PN Lawyersdefendthemselves:SeePage6 Picture: Steve Bould SponsorsofMiss Staffordshire/Miss England2011 off students SEN-eO1-S2 [P] Stafford Street,H anley Opposite Wilkinso n’s [email protected] off senior citizens [P] ©NM

TRANSCRIPT

Reporting local life since 1854 37pFriday, May 13, 2011

SEN

-eO1

-S2

[P]

YOUR £5m BILLBY ALEX [email protected]

ALMOST £5 million of taxpayers’money has been paid out by councils to‘no win, no fee’ lawyers who have woncompensation claims over three years.

Figures obtained by The Sentinelshow £4 million was paid in compens-ation to individual claimants by theregion’s three main councils.

But over the same period, solicitorsrepresenting those claimants nettedmore than £4.7 million in costs.

The three-year figures reveal:■ Stoke-on-Trent City Council has paid£1.7 million compensation to the publicand £2.2 million in costs to solicitors;■ Staffordshire County Council haspaid £1.7 million compensation and £1.6million in legal costs;■ Cheshire East Council has paid£587,000 in compensation and £856,000in legal costs.

The data reveals scores of cases wherelegal costs have out-stripped pay-outs.

The cases include:■ A claimant receiving £4,250 for a leginjury on Staffordshire County Councilproperty while the legal firm picked up£18,000;■ A claimant receiving £17 for an eyeinjury while the lawyer got £2,480;■ A claimant who broke a bone on afaulty footpath got £4,000 while theirlawyer pocketed £23,000.

The data, which contains the most up-to-date three-year figures for each coun-cil, has been released as the Govern-ment pledges to tackle Britain’sburgeoning “compensation culture”.

Draft legislative changes put forwardby Justice Secretary Ken Clarke are setto stop lawyers claiming “success fees”from the losing side in liability cases.Instead, they would receive a share ofthe damages.

But legal firms say the costs are jus-tified because some cases are complexand the current rules help poorer cli-ents make claims.

A spokesman for Stoke-on-Trent’sAttwood Solicitors said: “We’re not tak-ing money from local authoritieswithout justification.

“A lot of the time, more careful repairsmay lead to these claims beingavoided.”

The figures reveal members of thepublic made 1,505 claims against thecity council between April 2008 and theend of March. Of those, 1,042 were rejec-ted at no cost to the authority.

In the same period, 168 claims weremade by the council’s employees, with39 of them knocked back.

Paul Simpson, the council’s businessservices director, said: “Once we haveestablished the legitimacy of all claims,the information is sent to the council’sinsurers. They consider all claims ontheir legal merits and communicatedirectly with the claimant or theclaimant’s solicitors.

“The vast majority of claims arerejected, but some unsuccessfulclaimants do take the council to courtand it is then for the court to determinewhich party is liable, based on theevidence available.”

Lawyers defend themselves: See Page 6

True cost of ‘compensationculture’ as lawyers rake it in

MICKY’SBACK!

BACKPAGE

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