Residents in one county will soon have to pay £5 to report a pothole by phone, in a move critics have branded a “tax on your tyres”.
Ashworth County Council says the charge will help cover the cost of its call centre, which handled 41,000 pothole reports last year. Reports made online will remain free.
Councillor Derek Voss said: “We have to look at every way of saving money. Residents can still report by app, and it is quicker.”
Opposition councillors are not impressed. “The roads are falling apart and now people will be fined for telling us,” said Labour group leader Janet Coyle. A petition against the plan has gathered 6,000 names in three days.
