Insurance and the council

The council ensures that we have sufficient and cost effective insurance to cover those risks which can affect the council and/ or its residents.

We purchase insurance cover for a wide range of risks including public liability, employers liability, motor, property, financial loss, school journey, and libel and slander, as well as many other types of insurance.

We handle all insurance claims that are made either by or against the council, including co-ordinating between insurers, claims assessors, loss adjusters, solicitors and external claims handlers.

How to make a claim

The insurance services section manages claims against the council such as injury or damage on public highways, subsidence damage (caused by the roots of street trees) and landlord and tenant claims.

Anyone involved in an accident or incident concerning a contractor or public utility (gas, electricity, water) should contact them direct as they are responsible for their own insurance arrangements.

Before making a claim you should read our guidance on making liability claims against the council.

If you feel that you have suffered loss through negligence on the part of the council then they should complete the incident report form.

We aim to ensure that fair and equitable decisions are made as quickly as possible. In order for a compensation claim to be accepted and payment made, there has to be proven legal liability and negligence.

It is normally the case, in approximately 63% of claims, that it can be proven that the council did all that it reasonably could have to prevent incidents from occurring and as such are not negligent.

Disclaimer:

We respectfully remind you that Lambeth Council does everything it can to comply with its statutory obligations. It therefore does not follow that just because you have completed a incident report form you will automatically receive compensation.

All claims received are dealt with in accordance with the protocols laid down in the Civil Justice (Woolf) Reforms 1999.

Audit Commission Act 1998

We are required under Section 6 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 to participate in the National Fraud Initiative data matching exercise. The data held by Lambeth Council will be used for cross-system and cross authority comparison for the prevention and detection of fraud.

Data Protection Act 1998

The information you have provided to Lambeth Council will be used to enable the Council to process your claim. We may share your information with our legal representatives, contractors or outside bodies who may be involved with the defence of the claim. You have a right to ask for a copy of the information about you, held by us, in our records. You must make this request in writing to the Risk and Insurance Section.