DONEGAL County Council has paid out over €360,000 already this year in compensation as a result of injuries suffered on broken or flawed footpaths.
The payments bring to more than €3 million the amount drained from the public purse due to claims since 2016.
Mayor of Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District, Donal Kelly, will bring a motion to a meeting tomorrow calling on council to carry out an inspection of all footpaths within the town boundaries and outlying areas.
He described the compensation pay outs as “shocking”.
Figures provided to the Donegal News following a Freedom of Information request reveal that in the first three months of this year three claims were met, totalling €218,803. From April to June five payments totalling €147,872 were made.
That total of €366,675 is more than all of 2021’s payments when compensation as a result of trips and slips was €244,621.
Last year was however well down compared to most previous years.
In 2020 Donegal County Council paid out €335,356. That was preceded by annual amounts of €768,881 in 2019, €563,451 in 2018, €218,744 in 2017 and 2016’s figure of €735,969.
Overall in the past six years defective walkways have cost the authority €3,233,697.
Councillor Donal Kelly will raise the issue of flawed footpaths and untended hedges to a meeting tomorrow.
Ahead of tomorrow’s municipal district meeting in Letterkenny Public Services Centre, Councillor Donal Kelly said the council needed to “get on top” of the situation.
He will table a motion asking that an inspection of all footpaths within the town boundaries and outlying areas be conducted and where necessary, repairs carried out and hedges cut back.
“It is shocking when you hear the amount of compensation that is being paid out,” the municipal district chair told the Donegal News.
“In my opinion our footpaths are not being maintained well enough and it is something that needs looked at.
“Hedges too need maintained because we are into a situation where mothers with prams are struggling to get past.
“It is something we really need to be getting on top of, particularly when you hear figures like those and how much compensation is being paid out.”
Slips and trips payments for Donegal since 2016:
2016 €735,969
2017 €218,744
2018 €563,451
2019 €768,881
2020 €335,356
2021 €244,621
2022 (To date) €366,675
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