Accidents can happen, and we, as the council, could be liable. Accidents may be caused by a council-owned vehicle. There is no automatic right to compensation. You must prove your claim. There are two types of accidents you can submit claims for:
Motor accident claims
If you suffered a personal injury or damage to your vehicle, and believe we are liable, you have the right to make a claim.
Submitting a motor accident claim
To submit a motor accident claim, you will need to provide:
- Your vehicle details.
- Council vehicle details.
- Incident details.
- Witness details (if any).
- Your contact details.
What happens next?
- We acknowledge your claim and give you a unique reference number.
- A report on your claim will be requested from the relevant department.
- Our insurance service will then review your claim.
- If we find we are not liable for your accident or loss, we will write to you with our reasons. If you are unhappy with the decision, you can get independent legal advice.
Personal injury and damage to property claims
If you suffered a personal injury or damage to your property, and believe we are liable, you have the right to make a claim.
If your claim is against a non-council organisation, but one which we hired, please contact them instead. These could be utility companies like gas and electricity, or builders.
Submitting a personal injury or property claim
To submit a personal injury or property claim, you will need to provide:
- Incident details.
- Claim details.
- Your contact details.
What happens next?
- We acknowledge your claim and give you a unique reference number.
- A report on your claim will be requested from the relevant department.
- Our insurance service will then review your claim.
- If we find we are not liable for your accident or loss, we will write to you with our reasons. If you are unhappy with the decision, you can get independent legal advice.
Personal data and false information
The personal data collected in the claim form will be used to process your claim. The data will be held on file by our finance division. All processing will be carried out under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Your information should be complete and accurate. This does not admit liability on behalf of the council. There is no automatic right to compensation.
A fraudulent claim will result in the loss of the right to claim. It may trigger criminal proceedings. To knowingly give false information is a crime. We are part of national and local schemes to cut fraud costs for council tax payers. Information may be shared between:
- Council services
- Insurers
- Claim handlers
- Loss adjusters and other agencies.