Claims Against The Council

Services in: Claims Against The Council

Councils and local authorities are legally required to ensure that pavements, roads and other council property are safe for public use. But every year people are injured by loose paving stones or potholes. To sue a council for compensation it will be necessary to prove your injury was a result of the council's negligence.

How To Sue The Council For Negligence

Claiming compensation from the council requires you to show that your injury has been caused by a failure of care on their part. If you’ve experienced injury as a result of council negligence we can help you claim compensation. You can arrange a free initial consultation with one of our specialist solicitors to talk about your case and decide if you want to take it forward.

Suing a council for damages can be difficult if the road or pavement defect that caused your injury has since been corrected. You can help us make your claim by:

Taking photographs of where your injury took place
Taking measurements of the pothole or other defect that caused your injury
Providing us with the names and addresses of any witnesses present
Letting us know the police incident number.

What Types Of Claim Can Be Made Against The Council?

Councils have a duty of care to ensure that roads, pavements and other public areas are properly maintained. We could help you make a council compensation claim if you’ve been injured as a result of:

A pothole that is 40 mm deep or more
An uneven paving stone that was sticking up by more than one inch.

Cyclists are particularly vulnerable to poorly maintained roads – if you’ve fallen off your bike after hitting a pothole, we could help you make a claim against the responsible council.

What Are The Time Limits For Making A Claim?

Claims against the council usually need to be made within three years of the accident that caused your injury.

However, there are some important exceptions to the three year rule:

If you’re claiming on behalf of your child there is no time limit up to their 18th birthday. From 18 years old the three year time limit applies
There is no time limit if you’re claiming on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the mental capacity to claim for themselves.

In cases of council negligence we recommend making your claim as soon as possible. This makes it easier for us to gather evidence, such as interviewing witnesses in support of your case or taking pictures and measurements of the road/paving defect that caused your injury.

How Much Compensation Can I Claim?

How much compensation you could receive depends upon the severity of your injury and the impact it has had on your life. We’ll seek a fair settlement that takes into account any suffering you’ve endured because of your injury as well as other costs.

Compensation could cover:

Cost of attending medical appointments and buying medical equipment
Loss of earnings
The costs of any treatment you’ve received and any further medical procedures or care you may need
Living and accessibility changes made to your home or vehicle because of your injury.

No Win No Fee Claims

We may be able to handle your claim against the council on a no win no fee basis. This means that there will be no upfront cost to you. If your case is successful, most of your legal fees will be covered by your opponent, with any other fees left to be paid out of your settlement. If your case is unsuccessful then you won’t have to pay anything*.

Why Choose Us?

As one of the largest personal injury law firms in the country we have an experienced and dedicated team of solicitors ready to help you.

We’ve represented thousands of clients who have been harmed due to negligence by their council or local authority. Our experts will support you throughout your claim and will work to get you the best possible compensation settlement.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one wish to make a claim against the council then you can get in touch on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online and we’ll call you back.

No Win No Fee*

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Claims Against The Council - More Information

When the case was finally settled, the relief was enormous. I felt as if I had done everything I could to try and stop it happening to anyone else.”

Karen O'Brien, client

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types Of Claim Can Be Made Against A Council?

Local councils have a duty to make sure that roads, pavements and other public areas are properly maintained. Loose pavements or potholes can lead to nasty trips and falls, so it’s important that regular inspections take place to prevent them hurting anyone.

We could help you make a claim if you’ve been injured as a result of:

A pothole that was 40 mm deep or more
An uneven paving stone that was sticking up by more than an inch.

Cyclists are particularly vulnerable to poorly maintained roads – if you’ve fallen off your bike after hitting a pothole, we could help you make a claim against the council responsible.

Where possible, you should take photographs to act as evidence – conditions on the road or pavement are likely to change quickly when repair work is carried out. When taking photographs of defects, it’s also useful to also take measurements of the size and depth. In addition, it'll help if you can give us the names and addresses of witnesses and an incident number if the police were involved.

For more information on making a claim against the council, phone one of our legal advisers on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.

How Can Irwin Mitchell Help?

We know that an injury can have an enormous impact on your day-to-day life. That’s why we aim to take some of the strain from you by handling your claim against the council in a professional and efficient way. We will always strive to:

Support you by explaining each stage of the claim in plain English and helping you with any obligations you face as part of your case
Pursue claims to completion with dedication, making sure that you get the best possible settlement
Put your interests first at all times.

We'll work hard to make sure you receive the right amount of compensation to account for the pain and hardship you have experienced and the inconvenience caused to you. If your injuries have left you needing rehabilitation or physiotherapy, we can also help you access top-quality support.

How Is A Council Legally Responsible For My Injury?

Councils are required to look after public property and, if you’ve been hurt because pavements or other council property were not properly maintained, they may be legally responsible for your injury.

To avoid legal responsibility, a council must prove that there is a system of regular inspections in place to flag up and fix any potential road or pavement hazards.

If you make a claim against the council, our solicitors will work hard to prove that safety and maintenance standards weren’t met. For example, we may be able to prove that the road or pavement had been in a state of disrepair for a significant period of time without being repaired. In this case we’ll try and show that the council failed to notice the issue or they didn’t act quickly enough to fix it.

For more information on making a claim against the council, phone one of our legal advisers on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.

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Claims Against The Council

How To Sue The Council For Negligence

What Types Of Claim Can Be Made Against The Council?

What Are The Time Limits For Making A Claim?

How Much Compensation Can I Claim?

No Win No Fee Claims

Why Choose Us?

Contact Us

Call us for a free initial consultation

Claims Against The Council - More Information

What Will Happen When I Make A Claim?

What Can Compensation Pay For?

How Long Do I Have To Make A Claim?

Can I Make A No Win No Fee Claim?

Meet The Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types Of Claim Can Be Made Against A Council?

How Can Irwin Mitchell Help?

How Is A Council Legally Responsible For My Injury?

Related Information - Claims Against The Council

About Irwin Mitchell

Contact Us

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