The Assessor Mag Autumn 2024 Web - Flipbook - Page 9
POTHOLE
COMPENSATION
CLAIMS DOUBLE
IN A YEAR
Pothole compensation claims
submitted to 18 local authorities with
the longest road networks in Britain
more than doubled in the 12 months
between 2022 and 2023 from 8,327 to
20,432, new data analysed by the RAC
has revealed.
A Freedom of Information request to
21 councils – covering nearly 92,200
miles of local roads – found that of
the 18 that responded, Surrey County
Council saw the biggest increase in
claims, from 734 in 2022 to 3,418 in
2023. Hampshire County Council was
a close second, where claims jumped
from 750 in 2022 to 2,654 last year,
followed by Gloucestershire County
Council, where claims rose from 257 in
2022 to 829 in 2023.
Despite the huge rise in year-on-year
claims, 17 councils paid out just 15%
(3,131) of the 20,432 claims submitted
by drivers in 2023. The RAC estimates
this equates to a total of around
£824,000 paid out at an average of just
£260 per claim. This is around 43% less
than the amount drivers can expect to
pay – up to around £460 – if their car
needs to be 昀椀xed for anything more
serious than a puncture, according to
RAC garage data.
Five councils refused nine-in-10
pothole claims in 2023
The data shows that the chances of
making a successful claim for pothole
compensation are very limited, as 76%
(13) of the 17 councils that paid drivers
any compensation for pothole damage
refused more than three-quarters
of the claims they received in 2023.
And, according to the FOI data
shared with the RAC, 昀椀ve councils
refused nine-in-10 pothole claims in
2023. Gloucestershire County Council
refused 98% of its 829 claims; Essex
County Council refused 95% of its
2,560 claims; Kent and Cornwall
Councils both refused 92% of their
1,884 and 407 respective claims and
Powys County Council refused 90% of
its 107 claims.
The numbers also show that as pothole
damage claims have increased, the
proportion of claims refused by
councils has risen slowly too. Between
2021 to 2023, the average number
of claims refused has risen by 昀椀ve
percentage points, from 76% to 81%.
NIGHT OF KNIGHTS FOR NFU MUTUAL,
AVANT, GT MOTIVE AND SILVERLAKE
Congratulations to the winners at the
ABP Club Night of Knights, including
NFU Mutual, named the Repairers
Choice Motor Insurance Company,
Avant Repair Network winning the
Accident Management/Network
Management/Credit Hire company
Award, GT Motive named as the
favourite Estimating System, and the
Green Parts Supplier Award winner,
Silverlake. BMW won the Vehicle
Manufacturer Bodyshop Programme
Award, with Steer Automotive Group
named Fastest Growing Bodyshop
Group, and Chief executive, Richard
Steer, named ABP Industry Knight.
UK AI WILL HIT £801BN BY 2035
According to 2023 statistics from the US International Trade Administration, the UK AI market was worth more than £16.8
billion and is expected to grow to £801.6 billion by 2035, while government research suggests that around one in six UK
businesses has embraced at least one form of the technology.
JOURNAL
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