Liverpool City Council paid out more than £5m in personal injury claims between 2022 and 2025, new data shows. Figures obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) request revealed that four local authorities across Merseyside spent a total of £6.07m on financial settlements.
Public claims dominate Merseyside payouts
The data shows that the vast majority of personal injury claims across the region were brought by the general public rather than council staff. Of the councils that provided breakdown data, 1,400 claims were submitted by the public, compared to 125 by employees.
The figures cover the period from 2022 to 2024/25 and show the most frequent types of claims recorded across the region, including public liability, highway tripping and accidents at work.
Liverpool accounts for most of the bill
The number of personal injury claims varied widely between councils, as did the amount each paid out in compensation. Across the three-year period, the overall annual payouts for the region dropped year-on-year, from £2,121,377 in 2022/23 to £1,893,059 in 2024/25, but the distribution of these costs varies by council.
Liverpool City Council recorded the highest volume by far, with 954 total claims, including 52 employee claims, and paid out £5,165,146 across the three-year period, accounting for more than 84% of the total bill.
In response to the figures, a spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: “Public liability claims can arise from a wide range of incidents, including across the thousands of highways and footways we maintain.
“Each claim is investigated thoroughly and robustly to ensure council funds are protected where possible.”
Other councils' payouts revealed
According to the FOI data, other local authorities in the region also made significant payments arising from personal injury claims. St Helens Council paid £316,702 after receiving a total of 184 claims, 29 of which were made by employees.
Across the same three-year period, Wirral Council recorded 246 claims, 17 from employees, and spent a total of £200,795.92 on settlements. Knowsley Council received 141 claims, including 27 from employees, resulting in a total payout of more than £390,000.
In response to the figures, a Knowsley Council spokesperson said: “For the three year period from 2022 to 2025, we received 141 claims, but the total value of those claims were £392,484.”
The council added: “One claim is one too many and we are doing all that we can to reduce claims through our ongoing repair and maintenance programmes.”
Legal Expert solicitor Patrick Mallon said: “These latest figures show the importance of local councils upholding their statutory duty to both their employees and their residents.
“We've seen far too many avoidable accidents happen over the years. Even simple slip, trip and falls have the potential to turn someone's life upside down.
“We turn to our councils for help and support and to keep us safe in our neighbourhoods. We hope that in shining a light on these figures more action can be done to ensure public and employee safety.”
Sefton Council did not provide a response to the FOI request, according to the applicant, and is not included in the figures. The FOI data was provided to the ECHO by Legal Expert.
