Sheffield Council pays out £450k in personal injury compensation in one year – including £200k for asbestos

Sheffield Council spent nearly £450,000 compensating people for personal injury in a single year, new figures show.

The huge sum included £204,500 of payouts for asbestos-related harm, which the council said happened during the 50s, 60s and 70s.

There were 79 personal injury claims made against Shefffeld City Council between April 17, 2022 and April 17, 2023, for incidents including assault, bullying, an accident on council premises and a defective road, a Freedom of Information request by LegalExpert.co.uk showed.

A total of £33,843.50 in compensation has already been paid out in relation to claims made during that period but the amount of compensation paid out between those dates, irrespective of when the claim was made, totalled £447,507.82.

Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, a type of cancer which affects the lining of some organs, including the lungs

LegalExpert.co.uk said the council has a duty of care to make sure that any premises, spaces, highways or equipment they control are safe for employees and visitors, so far as is reasonably possible for it to do so.

Responding to the figures, Ajman Ali, the council’s executive director of neighbourhood services, said: “Each year Sheffield City Council respond to a range of personal injury claims. Quite rightly, where fault lies with the organisation we pay out appropriate figures based on each individual incident or situation.

“The organisation is also still required to pay personal injury compensation for claims which are related to situations or incidents which happened many many years ago, even before Sheffield City Council was an entity. The data provided includes £204,500 for compensation for asbestos related injuries which happened in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

“The council has a duty of care and we do our best to ensure people are safe and not put in positions which could endanger their physical or mental health. Where our good intentions fall short, it is only right that we respond appropriately.”

The full list of incidents for which personal injury compensation claims were submitted to Sheffield City Council between April 2022 and April 2023 was: accident on council premises, assault, bullying, defective tools/equipment, housing communal stairs/footways, carriageway defect, inhalation, motor collision, missing/defective manhole covers, manual handling, noise, occupational disease, surface defects, and vibration.