In recent months there has been much coverage of the Prime Minister’s behaviour during the pandemic. In the coming weeks the police will decide if he broke rules that the Government made and Boris Johnson urged all of us to follow.

There is increasing cynicism about national politics. It should worry us all that some people have decided that they cannot trust any political party.

In my experience, most people involved with local community politics are trying to do the best for Watford. But if residents simply don’t trust what politicians say, our democratic system will struggle to function. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we are honest with local residents about the challenges that we face.

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Many residents are worried and angry about taller buildings being built in Watford. In recent years our housing target has been tripled by the Government. They have attacked us for not building enough and told us that we should have built twice as much in recent years. We have limited space and a Prime Minister who is demanding that we ‘build, build, build’. Across the country we are seeing ever taller buildings, as they are the inevitable consequence of national policies and targets. The government’s housing target for Watford is simply too high for a town of our size.

It is essential that all local politicians are honest with the public about the challenges we face, rather than pretending that there is a simple answer to this. In politics, as in life, if something seems ‘too good to be true’ it usually is.

  • Peter Taylor is Elected Mayor of Watford