Pensioner refuses to pay council tax until ‘dangerous’ road is fixed – but officials say it’s ‘not bad enough to repair’

A PENSIONER has stopped paying his council tax in protest, claiming a “dangerous” section of road near his home is being ignored by the council – who insist it’s not bad enough to fix.

David Johnson, 77, from Cliffe Woods, a small village near Rochester in Kent, says he’s had enough of being fobbed off after months of complaining about road damage outside his home.

The retired builder told KentOnline: “Every time I drive over it, I hear scraping underneath the car.

“To avoid damage, I have to put my wheels in the middle of the road and the others on the grass verge, which means driving half on the verge where there are thorns.

“It’s not safe. You shouldn’t have to drive like that.”

Johnson first raised the issue with a highways officer in the spring after noticing the problem worsening.

“I told her it’s not like a cut finger that gets better on its own. This will only get worse, and it has,” he said.

However, several months have passed, and no repairs have been completed, even after multiple visits from the council.

Frustrated by the lack of action, he has now cancelled his council tax direct debit.

“They’re charging me for a service I’m not getting,” he said.

“Well, they’re not providing it. I’ll wait for them to take me to court.”

He says even his daughter was shocked after speaking to a highways officer who reportedly suggested drivers: “just drive with two wheels in the middle and two on the grass.”

Johnson has since contacted his local Reform UK members and Cliffe and Cliffe Woods Parish Council, who passed his complaint to Medway Council.

But he says he has received no updates and fears the road could soon cause a serious crash.

The 77-year-old says the raised section of Perry Hill Road, near his home, has been damaging cars for months and could cause a serious crash if left unrepaired.

“It could easily happen here,” he warned.

“You go over that hump, scrape the underside, then drive off without realising the damage until it’s too late.”

He is now considering legal action, citing Section 41 of the 1980 Highways Act, which requires local authorities to keep roads in a safe condition.

He also claims a blocked ditch nearby is adding to the problem by causing flooding.

Johnson says other nearby roads, such as Merryboys Road, are also in poor condition.

“It’s sunk around a manhole cover, and you can see scratches on it,” he said.

“They threw a bit of tarmac in but never fixed it properly.”David Johnson

“I reported that years ago. They threw a bit of tarmac in but never fixed it properly.”

Medway Council says engineers have inspected Perry Hill Road several times but the damage does not yet meet the threshold for repair.

A spokesperson said: “Following reports on the condition of the road, our highway engineers have attended Perry Hill on a number of occasions.

Although they noted there is some deterioration, it does not currently meet the requirements for repair.

“We are responsible for maintaining more than 845km of road across Medway, and reactive repairs and proactive maintenance have to be prioritised due to the funding we have available.

“However, we are continuing to regularly monitor Perry Hill, and repairs will be made if the condition of the road continues to deteriorate.”

They added: “During one site visit, three vehicles did pass this section of Perry Hill, whilst travelling at or below the designated speed limit, without scraping the underside of their vehicles.”

In response to Johnson’s council tax protest, the spokesperson said: “Council tax is a legal requirement and must be paid.