The long-standing Wollongong Labor councillor will be forced to sit for at least the next six weeks after breaking her ankle in a fall at Stanwell Park while distributing how-to-vote cards ahead of the December 4 local government elections.

Cr Kershaw told the Mercury she had just begun letterboxing constituents on Lower Coast Road when she slipped on wet grass while moving from one property to the next, sending her sprawling onto a concrete driveway.

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"My coffee went everywhere, I was moaning and groaning, and when I looked down I saw my foot and thought 'it's not supposed to be at that angle'," she revealed on Tuesday, having undergone surgery on Sunday to have her ankle rejoined with a plate and screws.

"I have to spend two weeks on bedrest with my leg elevated, then I can't put my foot on the ground for at least six weeks."

It's terrible timing for Cr Kershaw - the lead candidate on Labor's ticket for Ward 1 - although her absence is not expected to harm her chances of being reelected.

However, the unfortunate experience may add a further item to her agenda should she be returned to office on December 4: the accident occurred on a stretch of roadway without any council-erected footpaths.

The irony of the situation was not lost on Cr Kershaw, who along with her fellow councillors oversees the yearly allocation of ratepayer funds to infrastructure projects, including upgrades to the city's footpaths and walkways.

"I can say for sure it [the accident] wouldn't have happened if a footpath was there," she said.

"But I can't say that because of my fall it's going to change the priority list of infrastructure works.

"It certainly does highlight though why there's a need for footpaths and why we need to keep allocating more of our budget to footpath spending."

Northern suburbs residents have long campaigned for upgrades to basic infrastructure, including footpaths, however the council's online infrastructure delivery program reveals there are currently no plans for work on Lower Coast Road between now and 2024/2025 financial year.

Meanwhile, Cr Kershaw thanked those who helped her after her fall, including residents and paramedics.

She said some boys from a nearby home picked up her leaflets, which had scattered during the fall, however declined her invitation to continue handing them out.

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