Poolside spectator handed £6,000 in damages from Wakefield Council after chair collapses

A spectator who fell through a chair next to a swimming pool received more than £6,000 in compensation from Wakefield Council.
The incident took place between April 2018 and March 2019.The incident took place between April 2018 and March 2019.
The incident took place between April 2018 and March 2019.

The claimant suffered cuts and a strained back after the chair collapsed at a local leisure facility between April 2018 and March 2019.

The council would not confirm which swimming pool the incident took place at as they said it may identify the individual.

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But the case is one of more than 400 compensation claims the local authority have settled over the last five years.

The cafe within Wakefield One was compensated after the building closed briefly in 2017 because e-coli had been found in the water supply.The cafe within Wakefield One was compensated after the building closed briefly in 2017 because e-coli had been found in the water supply.
The cafe within Wakefield One was compensated after the building closed briefly in 2017 because e-coli had been found in the water supply.

The results of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed more than £2m of public money has been handed out in liabilities since 2015. Around half of that figure was covered by insurance.

Among the other payouts was a £15 fee after a pair of trousers were ruined by a "split bin bag", while £140 was received by a driver whose car was damaged by a cone thrown by a school pupil.

Figures also showed more than £4,000 was paid out to the privately run cafe based in the council's Wakefield One building, when traces of e-coli were found in the water supply in July 2017.

The building closed for three days on that occasion.

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A significant chunk has also been paid out to people injured at parks and playgrounds in the Wakefield district.

One person was given £18,500 compensation after they sustained a leg wound from falling off some play equipment while another received £3,500 after bruising their ankle at a park.

The council's data showed one person was paid £55 after tripping over a "defective flag" outside a library, while another was paid £200 after their coat was damaged by a "defective door plate".

Neil Warren, the local authority's chief finance officer, said: "The council has seen a steady fall in the number of liability claims received on a year by year basis, which is understood to be in line with most authorities.

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“It is important to us to learn lessons from any claims received so we can work to provide the best experience for our customers and employees. We also work with advisers to identify and learn from specific incidents or trends.

“The council works to national guidelines and any financial settlement reached outside of a tribunal or court is negotiated on a commercial interest basis to resolve matters in line with our financial procedures and also in line with nationally recognised benchmarks for recognising and calculating such claims."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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