Bury Borough Council – How To Sue For Compensation

Are you seeking advice on how you could make a legitimate claim against Bury Borough Council? Your local council owes you a duty of care; if they were to breach this duty of care, it could see you becoming physically, mentally and financially harmed.

Claim against Bury Borough Council

Claim against Bury Borough Council guide

In this guide, we will discuss the duty of care you are owed and some examples of accidents that could happen if your local council were to breach this duty of care. We’ll also look at how you could claim for a data breach in which your personal data was exposed or for housing disrepair if the council is your landlord.

Additionally, our advisors are on hand to give you free legal advice regarding your claim. They can assess your case and, if it’s valid, could connect you with a solicitor to work on your case.

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Select a Section

  1. Can I Claim Against The Council For A Personal Injury?
  2. Data Breach Claims Against A Local Council
  3. Steps To Take When Filing Housing Disrepair Claims Against A Council
  4. Can I Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against Bury Borough Council?
  5. The Time That You Have To Make A Claim
  6. Get Advice On A Potential Claim Against Bury Borough Council
  7. Further Information On Making A Claim Against Bury Borough Council

Can I Claim Against The Council For A Personal Injury?

If you have been involved in an accident in a public place that was caused by negligence, you may be able to make a claim. However, you would need to show that the accident resulted in an injury.

Your local council is responsible for ensuring that any public spaces they are in control of, such as parks and footpaths, are free of risks and hazards. Doing so will help avoid any potential accidents (such as a slip or trip) that can cause injuries, such as a fractured cheekbone, broken ankle or a broken ring finger.

All local councils owe a duty of care. This duty is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Essentially, your local council must ensure they are doing all they reasonably can to ensure that the land they are in control of is safe for members of the public to use for its intended purposes.

If your local council is not doing all they reasonably can to prevent risks and hazards in their spaces, then this is an example of them breaching their duty of care. As a result of this, you may be involved in an accident that causes you to be injured.

To see if you have a valid claim against Bury Borough council, speak with a member of our team today.

Potential Personal Injury Compensation Payouts

Your settlement may be divided into special and general damages in a successful personal injury claim. These are:

  • General Damages: Compensating for the way your psychological and physical injuries have impacted your quality of life.
  • Special Damages: Compensating for the financial losses accrued due to your injury.

We have provided a list of compensation brackets that align with the 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Personal injury solicitors often use the JCG to help them value general damages. Please note that you should only use this table as a guideline.

InjurySeverityAmount
Brain and Head InjuryModerate (i)£150,110 - £219,070
Lung DiseaseDeclining Lung Function (c)£54,830 - £70,030
Back InjuriesSevere (iii) £38,780 - £69,730
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Moderately Severe£23,150 - £59,860
Psychiatric Damage GenerallyModerately Severe£19,070 - £54,830
Deafness/TinnitusTotal Loss of Hearing in One Ear (c)£31,310 - £45,540
Injuries to Internal Organs - AsthmaChronic asthma (b)£26,290 - £43,010
Neck InjuriesModerate (i)£24,990 - £38,490
Shoulder InjuriesSerious£12,770 - £19,200
Injuries Affecting Sight
Minor (h)£3,950 - £8,730

You will need to provide evidence in order to make a claim after you were injured because of negligence. Evidence of special damages could include receipts to show what you have spent money on and payslips to show your loss of earnings.

For more information on when you could make a claim against Bury Borough Council, speak with an advisor today.

Data Breach Claims Against A Local Council

A data breach is when your personal data is exposed in a way that threatens its confidentiality, availability or integrity. Personal data is information that can be used to identify you, either alone or when put together with other information.

An organisation that decides how and why your personal data is processed is called a data processor. Sometimes, a processor might outsource the processing of your data to another party, called a data processor. Each of these is responsible for safeguarding personal data when appropriate.

For a claim to be successful, you must prove that their wrongful conduct caused the data breach. For instance, this could include a member of staff leaving a laptop on public transport that contains personal data.

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) are the laws that set out the obligations of organisations processing the personal data of UK residents.

There are various ways your local council could be liable for a data breach For example:

  • Someone may disclose your personal data verbally to a party who doesn’t have the authorisation to access this.
  • Your personal data was emailed to the wrong person, and the person who receives it isn’t authorised to view the data.
  • Hard drives or papers containing your personal data were not disposed of or destroyed properly. For example, there might be a requirement that paperwork is shredded instead of disposed of in a waste bin.

In order to make a legitimate claim for compensation, not only must you prove that the data breach was caused due to your local council’s failings, but you also must have suffered harm from your personal data being compromised. This can be financial and/or mental harm.

You might be able to make a claim against Bury Borough Council if you have evidence that they were responsible for a breach of personal data that harmed you. Speak to our advisors today for further advice.

Steps To Take When Filing Housing Disrepair Claims Against A Council

Any landlord is expected to conduct reasonable repairs to a house that you rent. This obligation is outlined in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This obligation applies to private landlords, housing associations and also your local council.

Repairs that the local council should carry out relate to:

  • Repairing and maintaining roof structures and plasterwork. Unsuitable structural integrity could result in the ceiling coming down and you sustaining a serious injury, such as a break or fracture.
  • Any damp or mould that has appeared (excluding condensation)
  • The supply of utilities, such as water, electricity, and gas.
  • The maintenance of any electrical wiring.
  • Ensuring pipes and drains are working efficiently.

For more information on whether you are eligible to make a housing disrepair claim against Bury Borough Council, you can speak with our team.

Can I Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against Bury Borough Council?

You may be interested in starting a claim against Bury Borough Council with the help of a lawyer. However, you may be worried about the legal costs that could occur if you pursue a claim on your own. If this is the case, a type of No Win No Fee agreement, called a Conditional Fee Agreement, may be beneficial to you.

In this type of arrangement, you don’t pay your lawyer any upfront or ongoing fees. If your claim is not successful, you will not have to pay your solicitor anything for their services.

On the other hand, if your claim is successful, you will pay a success fee from your compensation payout to your solicitor. This success fee is capped by law, and they’ll deduct it before you receive it .

To find out more about No Win No Fee agreements, you can speak to our advisors today.

The Time That You Have To Make A Claim

If you are interested in making a claim, you must do so within the time limits set out in the Limitation Act 1980.

For personal injury claims, the time limit is three years from the date of your injury or from the date you linked your injury to the accident. Some exceptions apply to these time limits, however. Our team of advisors can tell you more about this.

In the case of data breach claims, the time limit is six years against an organisation. However, if you’re claiming against a publicly funded body, the time limit for starting your claim is one year.

For house disrepair claims, you may have between 3 or 6 years, depending on the type of claim you are making. Speak with one of our advisors for more information about whether you could make a housing disrepair claim against Bury Borough Council.

Get Advice On A Potential Claim Against Bury Borough Council

If you have the evidence to form a claim, we may be able to help. Our advisors can provide you with free legal advice 24 hours a day and could connect you with a lawyer from our panel if you have a valid case.

To find out more:

More Resources On Making A Claim Against Bury Borough Council

Guides On How To Sue The Local Council

Speak with our advisors for more guidance on how to make a legitimate claim against Bury Borough council.

Article by Rob

Edited by Sto