CONTROVERSY hit Councillor Carol Broad is set to claim compensation from the council after injuring her ankle on council property.

Cllr Broad is still receiving physiotherapy after the accident in March, in which she slipped on a carpet on Morecambe town hall stairs.

She spent six weeks in plaster and is unable to drive long distances. She expects to continue receiving treatment for some months.

"This wasn't just a little fall," said Cllr Broad: "We're talking about a six-month period in which I have not been able to drive any distance.

"I don't believe that somebody claiming compensation for an injury should necessarily become a public issue just because that person is a councillor, though I do understand that these things get out."

Cllr Broad has instructed a solicitor to seek compensation from the council. She is not able to say how much she expects to receive at present.

The accident happened at a time when Cllr Broad was coming under intense pressure because of what were described as excessive claims for child care allowance.

She has now made arrangements to repay the over-claim. Her Morecambe Bay Independent group will decide her fate over that issue after a decision to ban her from the council's new cabinet for two years was scrapped on legal advice.

A council spokesman said they were unable to comment about Cllr Broad's compensation claim at this stage.