In this guide, we will be concentrating on two areas: personal injury claims and data breach claims against local authorities. What is a claim against Wolverhampton City Council? Throughout this guide, we shall provide you with information that should help to answer this question. If by the end you get to this guide and you still have further questions you can call us for free advice at a time that suits you.
Personal injuries and data breaches can affect you physically, mentally, and financially. Our panel of lawyers understand this and work with claimants in an empathetic, understanding, and helpful manner.
Before reading this guide, you might be wondering:
- What is considered a data breach?
- When can you claim against a local authority?
We will attend to your queries throughout this article to offer as much information and advice as possible. If you’d like to talk about your case, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with an adviser from our team.
They can explore any questions you have about a potential claim against Wolverhampton City Council. In this free initial consultation, your case will be reviewed. Any evidence that you have managed to collect can also be assessed. Moreover, if our advisors can see that your claim is valid they will offer to connect you with a solicitor that specialises in public injury cases or data privacy breach claims.
You can get in touch with our team of advisers by:
- Giving them a call on 0800 408 7827 to discuss your situation.
- Using our instant chat pop-up box for a reply instantly.
- Filling in our claims form for a response at your earliest availability.
Select a Section
- Steps To Take When Filing Compensation Claims Against A Council For Personal Injuries
- Claiming Compensation For A Data Breach Against A Council
- Making A Housing Disrepair Claim When The Defendant Is A Local Council
- Can I Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against Wolverhampton City Council?
- Start Your Claim Within The Time Limit
- Get Advice On A Potential Claim Against Wolverhampton City Council
- More Resources On Making A Potential Claim Against Wolverhampton City Council
Steps To Take When Filing Compensation Claims Against A Council For Personal Injuries
According to the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the occupier or controller of a public place has a duty of care to protect anyone who has access to it (invited or not) from harm. This means that the local council must protect the public as much as can be reasonably expected from harm on public parks, some public roads and pavements, and buildings owned by the council.
Here are some examples of accidents that could happen in public spaces:
- Slip, trip and fall accidents – This could occur if there’s a loose paving stone or overgrown tree roots, for example. An example of slip, trip and fall injuries could be a broken ankle or broken toe.
- Accidents caused by defective equipment – Some examples of this are a broken swing set or broken climbing frame. If a child falls from a swing set or climbing frame, they could suffer a broken wrist injury or broken forearm injury.
Potential Personal Injury Compensation Payouts
Successful personal injury claims will be awarded a settlement that can include up to two Heads of Loss; general and special damages. General damages will look to compensate the claimant for the pain and suffering caused by the injury. Special damages are awarded for financial losses caused by the harm suffered.
We’ve included a compensation table below. The table includes the latest Judicial College Guidelines figures. These figures are derived from past court settlements. They are brackets amounts and take into consideration the severity of the injury. This table is for example purposes only and the figures may vary.
Injury | Compensation Guideline |
---|---|
Multiple Serious Injuries + Special Damages | Up to £250,000+ |
Severe Back Injuries (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 |
Moderate Back Injuries (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 |
Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | £73,050 to £122,850 |
Moderate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | £9,980 to £28,250 |
Serious Foot Injuries (e) | £30,500 to £47,840 |
Moderate Neck Injuries (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 |
Minor Neck Injuries (i) | £5,310 to £9,630 |
Serious Shoulder Injuries (b) | £15,580 to £23,430 |
Moderate Shoulder Injuries (c) | £9,630 to £15,580 |
Generally, personal injury compensation includes general and special damages. The above figures represent general damages. The awarded bracket depends on how severe the injury is and how long the treatment is.
General damages compensate for the psychological and physical impact the injury has had on you. For example, your injury may cause mental anguish or anxiety.
Special damages compensate for the way the injury has impacted you financially. For example, you may have paid out of pocket travelling to and from medical appointments.
Claiming Compensation For A Data Breach Against A Council
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced into UK law through the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). However, since the UK is no longer a part of the EU the Data Protection Act 2018 has been updated and the UK has derived their own version called UK GDPR. These new laws and regulations give a lot more power to those who supply their data to organisations. It has never been more vital for organisations that process personal information to protect it and keep it confidential.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can issue fines to the local councils for data breaches. In order for a data subject (persons who supply their personal data) to be able to claim against a data controller (those who handle personal data) liability must be proven. This means the onus is on the claimant to show how the data controller failed to take adequate steps in securing this information.
Here are some examples of how a data breach could occur:
- Posting a letter to the wrong address – If a local council does this, someone else could open the letter and access your personal information.
- Failure to redact – Personal information must be redacted before case studies and so on can be uploaded to the internet or websites. Failure to do this can mean others who have no authorisation can access personal data.
- A failure to use BCC – If an email to multiple people is sent out and those persons have no authority to know others who receive the email, it is considered a data breach if others can view the email addresses of those who have received the email. The above table contains the latest ICO statistics showing the number of selected non-cyber data security incident trends in quarter 2 of 2021/22.
Knowing whether you can claim for being the victim of a data breach is not always clear. This is why we offer a free initial consultation to any potential claimants so that they can have their case reviewed before they decide what action they might take. If you are unsure whether you can make a claim against Wolverhampton City Council why not call our advisors. Our advisors can take your call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Making A Housing Disrepair Claim When The Defendant Is A Local Council
Whether you rent from a housing association, local authority or private landlord the property that you rent must be habitable. When properties are not regularly maintained and safety checks such as gas checks are not carried out it leaves room for hazards to occur. It is these hazards that may cause harm to your health. Tenancy agreements will usually state what the landlord’s responsibilities are and what the tenant must do as a part of their agreement.
Here are some examples of housing disrepair:
- Mould (but not condensation) – If your landlord refuses to fix a mould issue in your house, you could become ill. You may be able to make a compensation claim for this.
- Exterior issues – You should report any issues with the outside of your house to your landlord.
- Broken boiler – If your boiler isn’t working efficiently, your water supply and heating may be limited. This can cause you to become unwell due to the lack of warmth.
Our team of advisers would be happy to explain the rights you have to make a housing disrepair claim. If your claim is valid, they can then connect you to a housing disrepair solicitor from our panel to begin working on your claim.
Can I Make A No Win No Fee Claim Against Wolverhampton City Council?
A No Win No Fee agreement generally is an umbrella term for different types of agreements that can be used to fund the work of a solicitor in civil cases. When making a personal injury claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor, you both will usually sign a Conditional Fee Agreement. This is a contract you and your lawyer sign. Generally, it will state the conditions that must be met in order for the solicitor to receive their payment.
You’re under no obligation to pay your lawyer fees if your claim loses. If your claim succeeds, you will have a small percentage taken off your compensation by your lawyer. This will be legally capped and you’ll still receive most of your compensation.
There’s little to lose, so why wait? If you have evidence of a personal injury caused by the local council or a local authority data breach, our team of advisers can help. They can answer any questions you may have about a potential claim against Wolverhampton City Council and explore No Win No Fee agreements with you in more depth.
Start Your Claim Within The Time Limit
Generally, there’s a three-year personal injury claims time limit. This means you have three years to start a personal injury claim. This time limit can either begin on the date of the accident or the date you become aware that the injury was due to negligence. However, sometimes there are exceptions to this time frame, such as:
- Under 18 claims – The child accident claim time limit begins on your 18th birthday. That means you have three years to start a claim from the day you turn 18. Alternatively, someone you trust could become a litigation friend to claim on your behalf before you turn 18 if you’d prefer.
- Lacking mental capacity – If you don’t have the mental capacity to make a claim, the three-year personal injury claims time limit starts when your recovery begins. On the other hand, someone you’re close to could act as a litigation friend to pursue the claim for you before this if you’d like.
Data breach claims must be started within 6 years unless they are against a public body such as the council. If this is the case then it is just one year to begin your case.
Get Advice On A Potential Claim Against Wolverhampton City Council
Hopefully, by now you have more of an understanding of if it may be possible to claim against Wolverhampton City Council. If you are still unsure or have outstanding questions why not call our advisers who can offer free legal advice.
An adviser can then have a chat with you about your case. You’re not obligated to carry on with our services after speaking to an adviser.
However, if you want to continue, an adviser can connect you to a lawyer from our panel to talk with you about No Win No Fee agreements.
You can contact our team of advisers via:
- A phone call on 0800 408 7827 to have a chat.
- Our live chat pop-up box for an instant response.
- Our online claims form for a response at your nearest availability.
More Resources On Making A Potential Claim Against Wolverhampton City Council
How Do I Know If I’ve Broken A Bone – If you think you could have broken a bone, this NHS article outlines the potential signs of a bone fracture.
Your Data Matters – This ICO page includes important information about your rights over your personal data.
Guides On How To Sue The Local Council
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Thank you for reading this guide on the question of – ”is it possible to claim against Wolverhampton City Council?”