Insurance excess adds to North Somerset Council’s compensation bill

Jailed sex abuse teacher Nigel Leat

North Somerset Council could face an insurance excess bill of up to £300,000 in compensation claims from the victims of a paedophile teacher.

Nigel Leat was jailed indefinitely last year for a string of sexual crimes against children at a school in Worle, according to the Bristol Post.

Families of the victims are making compensation claims against the council. The council pays around £300,000 in public and employers’ liability insurance.

Policy conditions

A condition of the policy is that there is excess of up to £50,000 on any one claim. So if all the damages claims are successful, the council will pay out around £300,000 in excess – coincidentally the same as the premium.

There is a limit of £50m for any one claim.

A council spokesman said: “We have received some claims and they are with our insurer. We have an excess in respect of each claim, if they are settled. Any excess would come out of existing council budgets.”