Insurance Services Office (ISO) Limited has launched a personal injury claims database for local authorities, aimed at helping the 85% of local authorities that are experiencing a significant rise in

ISO says the software ensures that local authorities and councils, who may already have developed the necessary risk management strategies in-house to deal with the increased frequency of claims, are equipped to tackle issues of how much to pay for the claims they accept. By ensuring consistency, overpayments can be minimised, while ensuring fast and fair settlements for meritorious claims.

A recent study by RBA Research, on behalf of Zurich Municipal and the Local Government Association (LGA), which polled 212 councils in England and Wales, found that 85% believed that conditional fee agreements had drastically increased their annual cost and volume of personal injury claims. Independent market analyst Datamonitor estimates that more than 16% of the 10.4m accidents that occur each year potentially result in a personal injury claim.

The LGA has urged local authorities to adopt sound risk management strategies over early notification of accidents, and to follow best practice initiatives.