Claim culture costs pounds 1.5m.COMPENSATION culture is set to cost Wirral Wirral, metropolitan borough (1991 est. pop. 322,100), NW England, on the peninsula between the Mersey and Dee estuaries, in the Greater Manchester metropolitan area. tax-payers an extra pounds 1.5m. That's the increase in insurance premiums facing the local authority next year after a massive rise in the number of personal injury claims. Councillors will have to choose between cuts in vital services such as education or transport, or an increase in council tax. The number of claims against Wirral for trips and personal injuries has risen from 900 in 1997/98 to more than 1,400 in 2001/02. Ian Coleman, director of finance, said: ``The number of claims has soared in the past three years. ``This is fuelled partly by law reforms which make civil litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. much easier and partly due to aggressive marketing by solicitors and claims management firms. ``It is not just trips and accidents at work; there are new types of claims such as stress, failure to educate and failure to protect from bullying Bullying Chowne, Parson Stoyle terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95] Claypole, Noah bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit. .'' Leader of Wirral council, Steve Foulkes, added: ``People can't walk down the high street without being approached by these firms, many of whom use very dubious tactics to attract customers. ``But we won't take this lying down. We are hoping to ban these claims touts from operating on streets.'' CAPTION(S): BAN: Cllr Foulkes |
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