Week-in and week-out I spend time knocking on the doors of residents to chat about local issues and concerns. The vast majority of people welcome the chance to tell me their thoughts – even if sometimes they are still in their dressing gown!

One issue that often comes up is the amount of development in our town. Most people know that we need more affordable homes, especially for local families. The depressing reality of homelessness was brought home to me recently when I spent one night counting the number of rough sleepers in our town. But many people are also worried about Watford becoming too congested and crowded – without enough space at our schools, doctors or on our trains and buses to cope with the extra demand. Central government continues to take planning powers off councils that fail to deliver their targets for new homes. Forcing more development on areas like Watford without the infrastructure in place is simply not sustainable.

If I am elected as Watford’s next mayor, my top priority will be fighting for better local services and transport links. We must have the infrastructure to keep our town moving. That means securing the Metropolitan Line extension, having better bus services, improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and introducing a bike-hire scheme.

Central government rules mean that there will be more development in Watford in the coming years – any politician who pretends otherwise is not being honest. But we must make sure that we have the schools, doctors and transport links that our town needs and deserves.

Cllr Peter Taylor is Deputy Mayor of Watford and Liberal Democrat candidate to be Watford's next mayor