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Row over £1m payouts to victims of pavement falls

Campaigner maintains contractors should meet compensation bill


Dugald Gonsal: ‘let contractors pay’
THE Town Hall has shelled out more than £1 million in compensation to people injured after tripping over uneven and poorly kept pavements in the past five years.
Newly released figures – obtained by the New Journal under the Freedom of Information Act – have sparked a row over just how dangerous Camden’s pavements are.
The statistics reveal that 114 insurance claims were successful in the 2000-01 financial year, amounting to a giant £682,504 dent in the council’s coffers.
Compensation claims have since tumbled, however, with just under £70,000 paid out in 2002-03 and about £63,000 in 2003-04. The current financial year has seen only 17 claims resulting in payouts to the public.
Labour councillors say the drop in payouts is partly due to the success of the Boulevard Project, a programme of road and pavement improvements.
But the figures remain under tough scrutiny. Camden’s former chief road engineer Dugald Gonsal, who retired in 2000, has published pictures of broken paving on his website – mylocalcouncil.org – and is adamant that repairs are not being done quickly enough.
He said the drop in Town Hall payouts may be due to the fact that contractors were now meeting the compensation claims.
Mr Gonsal said: “When I was at Camden there was a clause put into contracts so that contractors were responsible for trips on the pavements where they had not done the work properly.
“In truth, Camden should not be paying out any claims at all. The contractors should be covering the costs.”
He added: “It has become clear that no one from the council has been monitoring repairs. I have publicised 350 photographs of unfixed repairs but the council has still not apparently addressed these problems.”
Conservative group leader Councillor Piers Wauchope said he supported the aims of the Boulevard Project but added: “I could show you examples of tremendously dangerous pavements.
“Some of our roads are in disrepair and so are pavements on council estates, which the housing department is in charge of and should be maintaining.
“The statistics show a curious dive as we all know that the repair of streets in Camden is not getting better. It is getting worse if anything.”
The Town Hall says the figures speak for themselves and show that fewer people are tripping on uneven pavements.
Labour environment chief Councillor John Thane said: “Of course, any trip or accident which is our fault is regrettable but the figures are encouraging compared to the worst years of the 1990s.
“There have clearly been less accidents on roads that have been part of the Boulevard Project. We have targeted the roads where there were most problems and it has clearly made a difference.”
He said Cllr Wauchope had failed to produce evidence to back up his claims. Cllr Thane added: “There is no evidence that pavements are getting more dangerous. The council is committed to the Boulevard Project and the investment has proved worthwhile.”
A council press official added: “The figures are changing because you can put a claim on a trip for up to three years after it happened.”



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