A wheelchair user who was injured on council property has been awarded £6,000 in compensation.
Leslie Willans was injured while attending a wedding at the Gateshead Council Civic Centre. After leaving the register office, he fell out of his wheelchair as he made his way back to the car park. In the fall he suffered a broken nose and one of his teeth was knocked out.
Initially, Mr Willans approached the Council and requested that it pay for the repairs to his wheelchair. The Council refused and so he decided to take legal action. In court, the judge decided that the Council was at fault and ordered it to pay Mr Willans £6,000 in compensation, in addition to his legal costs for bringing the case.
The Council appealed against the decision, but this was rejected.
