Longford CoCo has paid out over €1 million in the past two years as compensation claims rise

Compensation claims have continued to soar to high levels as Longford County Council has paid out almost €1 million in relation to damage to vehicles from untreated potholes and slips, trips and falls during the past two years.

New figures obtained by the Leader under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that a total of just over €993,000 was awarded to claimants who sought damages from the local authority during 2023 &'24.

There were 104 compensation claims made with varying amounts paid out but an average settlement of €9,549 was awarded.

The total compensation figure of €993,142 during the 24-month period was a 1.8% increase on the total of €975,278, which was paid out during the previous two year period in 2021 and 2022.

A total of 72 claims were closed and settled during that two year period with an average settlement of €13,545 awarded to people.

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The documents showed that in 2024 alone €396,223 was awarded to claimants, a 33% fall in the €596,919 settled with claimants in 2023. The amount paid out in personal and public liability claims in 2021 and 2022 was €608,872 and €366,406 respectively.

The highest amount of compensation during the past six years was awarded in 2020 when a total of €653,866 in settlements was paid to claimants, while in 2019 the outlay was €303,540.

A closer look at the data shows the amount of compensation awarded for slips, trips and falls on footpaths increased by 95% in 2024 to €312,440 compared to the €160,360 of total settlements paid out in 2023.

A total of over €2.62 million was awarded to claimants who sought damages from the local authority between 2019 and 2024 with 216 claims closed during that period and the average amount awarded was €12,140.

The number of claims do not definitively show the number of accidents that occurred between 2019 and 2024, but instead show how many claims were settled during that eight year period.

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Personal injury claimants, who want to initiate a claim, have up to two years from the date of an accident to do so.

A Longford County Council spokeswoman, who commented on the figures, highlighted how average compensation claims and settlements had fallen.

"Longford County Council welcomes the decrease of 33% in awards settled from 2023-2024 and the associated decrease of the average amounts awarded to claimants from €13,545 to €9,549.

"While the number of claims has risen marginally by 1.8%, the settlement awards have decreased, with the average compensation per claim decreasing by 29% on the previous 24-month period.

"This is firm evidence that the approach taken by Longford County Council and their insurers: Irish Public Bodies Insurance to defend claims continuously and robustly is resulting in a sustained diminution in the level of awards and number of settled claims."

Local Fianna Fáil Council Seamus Butler, who referred to the 216 total claims between 2019 and 2024, said the average payout is €12,140 and that figure is not a surprise.

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"Some were obviously bigger but some must have been fairly small.

"Irish Public Bodies insures all the local authorities and they are the only company that insures the public realm.

"They help and in the last few years there have been a lot of areas where footpaths and slips and trips happened.

"A lot of those have been taken care of and there have been concrete footpaths done on Dublin Street, which was a real black spot.

"There used to be paving slabs that linked up and down but they were never suitable for the area."