The Hertfordshire County Council Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst is completely wrong in his assertion that London Mayor, Sadiq Khan and the Labour Party are in any way responsible for the current impasse over the Metropolitan Line extension (Labour should back us, Opinion, February 16)

The Labour Party in Watford has championed the Metropolitan Line Extension for decades long before he came to Watford.

In motions to Watford Borough Council and the county council we have always supported an-all party approach for the sake of our town and for the growth potential for employment.

But the fact is the costs of the project have soared whilst the budget of TfL has been slashed by the Tory government. Both Watford’s Tory MP and the Conservative Transport Secretary Chris Grayling have been made acutely aware by London’s Mayor that there is no more money in TfL’s pot and that it is, therefore, government that must carry the risk of overspend on the scheme and not TfL.

Whilst the Government put more money into the scheme, Grayling told London’s Mayor in a letter dated January 17 that unless TfL agreed to carry the risk of cost overrun then the project was dead. It is clear from the correspondence that at no time has TfL or London’s Mayor cancelled the project and neither Cllr Giles-Medhurst or the Tories have been able to produce any evidence to support their slur that Sadiq Khan cancelled the Metropolitan Line Extension.

The current position confirmed by the Mayor’s office to Watford Labour on February 16 is that TfL continues to protect the £49 million in its budget for the project and regard talks with government as ‘stalled’. The door is not closed.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrat collaboration in proposing a motion to the county council blaming Labour’s Sadiq Khan for the current situation is nothing short of narrow party politics. It is no coincidence that this is happening just eleven weeks before a crucial mayoral and council election in Watford on May 3. Both parties are currently circulating leaflets in Watford blaming Labour for the current impasse.

What is now needed, if this project is to be saved, is for Chris Grayling,the Mayor of London and TfL to be encouraged to get back round the negotiating table. Inflammatory language from Cllr Giles-Medhurst or Watford’s Tory MP do nothing to help that process.

Nigel Bell

County Councillor for West Watford