Knowsley Borough Council – How To Sue For Compensation

This guide will explore when a claim against Knowsley Borough Council could be justified. In order to make a personal injury claim against the local council you must demonstrate that negligence occurred. We will explore the criteria of negligence further in our guide.

Claim against Knowsley Borough Council

Claim against Knowsley Borough Council

Additionally, we will explore the steps you can take following an accident that caused you harm, including the evidence you could gather to seek compensation.

For further guidance, you can contact our team of advisers today to receive 24/7 free legal advice and discuss your claim. 

To get in touch with our friendly team, you can:

Select a Section

  1. Personal Injury Claims Against A Local Council
  2. Gathering Evidence To File Data Breach Claims Against A Council
  3. Information On Housing Disrepair Claims Against The Local Council
  4. Can I Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against Knowsley Borough Council?
  5. Maximum Claims Time Limits
  6. Get Advice On A Potential Claim Against Knowsley Borough Council
  7. More Resources On Making A Justified Claim Against Knowsley Borough Council

Personal Injury Claims Against A Local Council

As per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the person in control of a public place has a duty of care to keep anyone who accesses it reasonably safe. They can do this by completing regular safety checks to minimise the risk of known hazards.

Your local council may be responsible for public areas such as parks and pavements, so they must do all they reasonably can to keep these spaces free of known risks and hazards. If someone suffers an injury due to public defects, the local council may be seen as negligent. Negligence is someone breaching the duty of care they owed you and causing you harm.

Here are some examples of accidents that could occur in a public place:

  • Slip or trip accident- If you trip over a loose paving stone or a tree branch sticking out of the pavement, you could suffer an injury. An example of an injury you could suffer could be a broken ankle injury or a broken foot injury.
  • Defects in public places – An example of this could be a broken park bench or broken swing set. This could cause a child to fall off a swing or someone to hurt themselves on the bench. If a child falls off a swing, they could suffer from a break or fracture such as a broken forearm injury.

However, not all accidents in a public place will form the basis of a valid personal injury claim. In order to seek compensation, you must prove that negligence caused you to sustain harm.

Call us to find out when a claim against Knowsley Borough Council could be justified.

Potential Personal Injury Compensation Payouts

To help you with assessing the value of your personal injury claim, we have provided a compensation table of figures for various injuries.

The figures below relate to general damages which is one of the heads of claim that could make up your overall settlement. General damages seek to provide you with compensation for the physical and mental pain and suffering you have experienced as a direct result of your injuries.

We have taken these figures from the 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is often used by personal injury lawyers to help value claims alongside other resources such as medical evidence. However, as each claim is unique, the figures provided in the table should only be used as a guideline.

Injury:Amount:
Foot Injuries - (c) Very Severe£83,960 - £109,650
Foot Injuries - (e) Serious£24,990 - £39,200
Back Injuries - (a) Severe (ii)£74,160 - £88,430
Back Injuries - (b) Moderate (ii)£12,510 - £27,760
Wrist Injuries - (a) Arthrodesis£47,620 - £59,860
Wrist Injuries - (b) Permanent Disability£24,500 - £39,170
Other Arm Injuries - (b) Severe£39,170 - £59,860
Other Arm Injuries - (c) Less Severe£19,200 - £39,170
Ankle Injuries - (c) Moderate£13,740 - £26,590
Psychiatric Damage Generally - (c) Moderate£5,860 - £19,070

Additionally, in your settlement, you may be awarded special damages. Special damages give compensation for the financial impact the injury has on you. For example, you may have had to pay for domestic care to help you while recovering from the harm you sustained. If so, you could claim the costs back under special damages provided you have relevant evidence, such as invoices or receipts.

Gathering Evidence To File Data Breach Claims Against A Council

As an organisation that processes personal data, your local council must adhere to data protection law. The pieces of legislation they must follow are the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). These set out a data controller’s and processor’s responsibility to protect your personal information. A data controller sets the purpose for processing and sometimes processes the information themselves. A data processor acts on behalf of the controller.

In order to file a data breach claim, you must provide evidence that your personal information was compromised in a breach that resulted from an organisation’s failings. This can be sharing personal data without a lawful basis or not updating their cybersecurity systems.

Additionally, you must be able to prove that because your personal information was involved in the data breach, you suffered mental or financial damage as a direct result.

There is certain evidence you can collect that will help you towards supporting your claim. For example:

  1. You should receive confirmation within 72 hours of a breach happening if your personal data was involved and your rights and freedoms were affected. This confirmation letter can be used as evidence.
  2. Correspondence between you and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), if you have reported the breach to them and they have carried out an investigation.
  3. Bank statements proving you suffered financial loss.

To find out whether a data breach claim against Knowsley Borough Council could be justified, call our team on the number above.

Information On Housing Disrepair Claims Against The Local Council

If your rented house is owned by your local council they have a responsibility as your landlord to ensure that the house is safe to live in. This responsibility is outlined in the Housing Act 1988.

Some of the repairs your local could be responsible for are:

  • Any mould or dampness.
  • Any issues relating to water, gas, sanitation and electricity.
  • Piping or drainage issues.
  • Fire safety issues.
  • The structural integrity of your home – both internal and external.

For further guidance regarding your potential claim, speak to one of our advisors today.

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

You may be interested in working with a solicitor who offers a No Win No Fee service such as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). 

Under a CFA, you don’t pay for your lawyer’s services if your case loses. However, if you win your case, a small percentage will be taken from your compensation by your lawyer. You’ll know about this before it’s deducted and the percentage will be legally capped.

Please get in touch with our advisors if you would like more information on No Win No Fee services.

Maximum Claims Time Limits

You only have a certain amount of time to start your claim. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out these time limitations.

There’s generally a time limit of three years for personal injury claims. This three-year period begins from the date your injury occurred or the date you linked your injury to the negligence.

For a data breach claim, you generally have 6 years to start your claim and 1 year if it’s against a public body.

There are two forms of housing disrepair claims that you could make. Depending on your specific claim, you could have between 3 or 6 years. You can speak to one of our advisors to find out your specific time limit regarding your potential housing disrepair claim.

Get Advice On A Potential Claim Against Knowsley Borough Council

If you’re still unsure when a claim against Knowsley Borough Council could be justified, our team of advisors would be happy to help. You can contact them at any time of day to receive legal advice for free and discuss your specific circumstances.

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For more guidance about when a claim against Knowsley Borough council could be justified, you can contact our team.

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