Cllr Iain Sharpe has been forced into admitting that he and his Liberal Democrat colleagues on Watford Borough Council have incurred £10.9 million in expenditure relating to the Metropolitan Line Extension (MLX) – and achieved precisely nothing for the expenditure to date. (Watford Observer, January 5, 2018).

As a Labour Elected Mayor I would be much more proactive in ensuring that this money is not wasted by putting real pressure on government ministers to stump up the extra cash to get the project completed – which is so vital for Watford’s future prosperity.

I note he cites a figure of £300 million for the MLX project. According to latest estimates, the true figure – assuming the MLX went ahead – would be more like £350 million.

All members of the Watford Council Labour group want to see the MLX proceed, but left to the Liberal Democrats in Watford this seems to be a highly unlikely prospect.

This is the same Cllr Sharpe who tried stopping the West Watford Relief Road and said it would be built “over his dead body” who now presides over the MLX fiasco; so we will take no lectures from him or take notice of his crocodile tears when he claims concern about traffic levels in West Watford.

Cllr Jagtar Singh Dhindsa

Labour Candidate for Elected Mayor of Watford