COUNTY councils in Denbighshire, Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey faced more than 513 personal injury claims from 2021 to 2024, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

The FOI request, made by Accident Claims Advice, found that Welsh county councils spent £5.6million on such payouts between April 2021 and March 2024.

Every Welsh council except Ceredigion County Council and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council responded to the request, although Torfaen County Borough Council did not provide payout figures.

Claims for personal injury can be made against councils for a variety of reasons. According to councils, the cause of claims included:

  • Slips, trips and falls.
  • Workplace accidents and industrial disease.
  • Road traffic accidents caused by potholes and road defects.
  • Criminal injury, including assaults and physical or sexual abuse.

Gwynedd Council was sued for personal injury on 121 occasions, but paid out £518,468.05, including £303,090.91 in 2023-24 alone.

It means that the average payout in Gwynedd worked out as £4,284.86, a figure unmatched across Wales.

Figures for Denbighshire, Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey’s county councils were as follows:

Gwynedd Council – 121 claims

  • 2021-22 – 49 claims (£137,946.60 payout*)
  • 2022-23 – 42 claims (£77,430.54 payout)
  • 2023-24 – 30 claims (£303,090.91 payout*)

*Includes an unidentifiable amount for loss of earnings

Total payout - £518,468.05 (second-highest in Wales)

Average payout - £4,284.86 (highest in Wales)

Conwy County Borough Council – 119 claims

  • 2021-22 – 37 claims (£115,969.00 payout)
  • 2022-23 – 41 claims (£134,841.00 payout)
  • 2023-24 – 41 claims (£71,778.00 payout)

Total payout - £322,588.00 (seventh-highest in Wales)

Average payout - £2,710.82 (fourth-highest in Wales)

Isle of Anglesey County Council – 70 claims

  • 2021-22 – 24 claims (£9,670.00 payout)
  • 2022-23 – 20 claims (£26,685.00 payout)
  • 2023-24 – 26 claims (£5,035.00 payout)

Total payout - £41,390.00 (sixth-lowest in Wales)

Average payout - £591.29 (sixth-lowest in Wales)

Denbighshire County Council – 203 claims

  • 2021-22 – 134 claims (£7,455.00 payout)
  • 2022-23 – 69 claims (£4,218.00 payout)
  • 2023-24 – Not Provided

Total payout - £11,673.00 (third-lowest in Wales)

Average payout - £57.50 (lowest in Wales)