Corporate manslaughter prosecutions against councils could soon become commonplace, predicted public sector risk management organisation, Alarm.
It issued the warning after the first prosecution of a public body in a corporate manslaughter case in the UK. Alarm described the charges brought against Barrow Borough Council, over deaths caused by Legionnaire's disease, as a watershed, and a very stark warning message to the public sector.
Alarm said it strongly believed that councils must start assessing their risks properly if they are to avoid finding themselves in a similar position.
"In today's increasingly litigious society people are often looking for someone to blame, and if a council is seen to have been negligent in any way it will have claims made against it," said Alarm chairman Bob Cope.
"This needs to be a wakeup call to local councils across the UK. If one council can be prosecuted it is more than likely that others will find themselves in the same position if they do not step up their risk management arrangements."
