REVEALED: Louth County Council pays out millions in compensation over past five years

Louth County Council and its insurers have paid out over €10 million in compensation claims for accidents in public places over the past five years, new figures have revealed.

Compensation payouts for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 came to a total of €10,011,141, according to data obtained by the Dundalk Democrat via Freedom Of Information request.

The amount of compensation payouts by the local authority appear to be trending generally upwards in recent years when the figures from 2014 to 2022 are examined.

Last year 2022, saw the Council and its insurers pay out the most with €2,480,898 going on compensation claims for accidents, while 2018 saw the least amount paid out in the last five years with €1,495,782 spent.

Meanwhile, 2019 saw €2,347,863 spent on claim outlays and 2021 saw €2,045,306 expended on claims.

Additionally, the year of the pandemic, 2020, saw €1,641, 292 spent on claims.

Each yearly figure included the amount spent on legal fees as well as damages paid to claimants.

The information received by the Democrat also revealed the total number of claims that were successfully paid out. For the five years in question, 749 compensation claims were paid out, with 2021 seeing the most claims paid, a total of 193.

The FOI data also provided the top three categories for payouts each year.

A further breakdown of the figures reveals that, in 2022; €1,609,759 was paid out on what is categorised as Footpath and Slip/Trip; €517,312 on road claims and €16,162 on pothole claims.

2021 saw €1,225,365 spent on Footpath and Slip/Trip; €481,052 on road claims and €133,175 on potholes.

In the previous year, 2020, €787,277 was outlaid on Footpath and Slip/Trip; €265,596 on road claims and €221,454 on claims relating to potholes.

€1,594,594 was spent on Footpath and Slip/Trip in 2019; €441,494 on claims relating to roads and €198, 194 on pothole claims.

Finally, 2018 saw €923,579 paid out on Footpath and Slip/Trip; €326,731 on potholes and €76,638 on road claims.