Croydon Council recorded 1,213 personal injury claims between 2022 and 2025, more than any other London borough, yet its £1.4 million payout was surpassed by three other councils, according to data obtained through Freedom of Information requests by Personal Injury Solicitors London.
Ealing Council paid out the most at £2,089,522, followed by Hillingdon at £2,075,697.15 and Lewisham at £1,820,155. Croydon’s average settlement was £6,812.54 for each of the 205 claims it settled, with highway-related incidents accounting for the largest category of claims.
Croydon’s claim numbers and rejection rate
Croydon recorded considerably more claims than the other 24 London boroughs that responded to the request, with Barnet ranking second with 422. Of the 1,213 public liability claims Croydon received, the vast majority (1,008) were rejected.
A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Every injury matters, but the number of claims submitted should not be confused with the number upheld.” The spokesperson added: “Comparisons between councils need to account for population, the scale of the services and infrastructure they manage, and whether the same categories of claim have been included.”
Infrastructure and maintenance response
Croydon currently maintains 726km of roads and 1,235km of footpaths, the largest network of any London borough, which the council says may account for the high number of claims. Claimants have up to three years from the date of an incident to bring a claim, meaning new cases can relate to incidents from previous years, a rolling process the council says may explain discrepancies in figures.
The council said settlement figures can fluctuate over time, as some claims involve interim payments before a final settlement is reached. In response to criticism, the council said decisive action was under way to repair road surfaces and prevent accidents, with its latest figures showing personal injury claims had fallen by approximately 20 per cent.
Political criticism and council action
The volume and cost of the claims have prompted criticism from political opponents. Stuart King, leader of Croydon’s Labour opposition, said: “The council’s settlement of public liability claims worth £1.4 million since Mayor Jason Perry took office raises legitimate questions about the protection of public money and the effectiveness of its risk management.”
He added: “The Mayor needs to come clean on why those claims arose, whether incidents could have been prevented and what action has been taken to stop the same problems recurring.”
The council spokesperson added: “The council has approved a £17.5 million highways improvement programme for 2026/27, repaired more than 3,000 potholes this year and introduced a dedicated ‘pothole patrol’ to identify and repair defects throughout the year.”
Broader London context and legal perspective
The data gathered by Personal Injury Solicitors London found that the 25 responding London councils received a combined 6,691 claims over the three-year period. Patrick Mallon, a solicitor at the firm, told the LDRS that these figures “show the importance of local councils upholding their statutory duty to both their employees and their residents”.
“We’ve seen far too many avoidable accidents happen over the years. Even simple slips, trips and falls have the potential to turn someone’s life upside down,” he added. “We turn to our councils for help and support and to keep us safe in our neighbourhoods. We hope that in shining a light on these figures, more action can be taken to ensure public and employee safety.”
