Waterford Council pays out €270k for footpath falls in just three months

Local councillor calls for investment to reduce 'ridiculous' compensation payouts

Cllr John Pratt: 'If we keep going out this rate, we will go beyond €1m in payouts.' Picture Dan Linehan

Waterford County Council has spent more than €270,000 on slips, trips, and falls on footpaths in the first three months of this year, figures have revealed.

The amount of money paid out was highlighted in documents obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by local councillor John Pratt.

In the first three months of 2023, €273,000 was paid in compensation payments to members of the public for footpath-related injuries.

There is no individual breakdown or exact reasons cited for the claims.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Pratt said the money would be “better spent funding protective measures rather than compensation payouts”.

He said: “If we keep going at this rate, we will go beyond €1m by the end of the year; we went over €1m last year”.

Figures for last year show the council paid out €1,101,512 on footpath claims — the highest payout to date — compared with €538,093 the year before.

Mr Prat said: “It is a ridiculous amount of money.

“For rural areas, I go back to the active travel fund, which is now mainly going to be for the bigger towns and cities, so the rural towns and villages are harder to get money for.

“It could be used as part of the improvements.

The smaller the place you live in, the harder it is to get the money.

“National policy has made it more difficult for the smaller towns. It’s nearly impossible to get money.

“I’m calling on the Government to understand that this is ongoing, this is only a small area in Waterford. What would it cost us nationwide on claims? Investing is better than claims.”

Waterford City and County Council confirmed the figures, noting they cover the period from January 1 to March 31.