RECENT media reports concerning the Government’s proposed planning reforms warn of a “race to the bottom” and a slashing of democratic input to the process. The independent report from Lichfields says Boris Johnson’s plan will “turn the heat” on towns like Watford.

Watford needs a local MP who puts Watford first. That is why I am calling on Dean Russell to state publicly that towns like ours need to be allowed to decide what is best for our local area when it comes to development.

We need more homes but we need them in the right places and built to the right standards, with the infrastructure needed to support new residents. We don’t need more decision making powers stripped away from local councils and, most importantly, local people.

We need the Government to recognise that to solve the housing crisis with high quality housing we need a much more strategic construction of homes, schools, healthcare and transport. Watford deserves an MP who will speak up in the face of Government blunders.

I’m hoping he will want to join me in putting local people first by calling on Boris Johnson to go back to the drawing board with these centralising, simplistic and unambitious proposals.

Cllr Ian Stotesbury

By email