Last week’s edition of the Watford Observer included a letter from Mr Mackenzie (Where is MLX cash?) about the aborted Metropolitan Line Extension.

It is my job to champion the interests of our town. I was bitterly disappointed with the decision by the London Mayor to pull the plug on the Metropolitan Line’s extension to Watford Junction. This decision was made despite the fact that the scheme was fully funded.

When I was elected, I made it clear that I would do all I could to get the unspent money from the scheme back to our town and fight for an alternative scheme to be delivered. Indeed, in my first month as Mayor I met with senior management of TfL, who confirmed to me that money would be returned and they would work with me to provide an alternative scheme.

Last month, £2.3 million (not the inaccurate figure contained in Mr Mackenzie’s letter) was returned to Watford Borough Council by TfL. This means that the money the council committed to the scheme in 2015 has been returned to us in full. As well as this, we have commissioned a study with Hertfordshire County Council and TfL to look at alternative schemes that could run on the Croxley Rail Link.

Far from being the ‘brainchild’ of Boris Johnson, the extension of the Metropolitan Line is a major strategic transport project that was championed by Dorothy Thornhill when she was mayor, and has been consistently supported by councillors and MPs for several decades. Long before Boris Johnson was London Mayor, Dorothy Thornhill and TfL under Ken Livingstone worked on this plan. It would serve our hospital, our football ground, West Watford and our business parks. The scheme would have delivered millions of pounds into our local economy, provide new local jobs and provided a critical east-west link.

I will continue to do all I can to fight for our town, improve our transport infrastructure and deliver an alternative that will be a huge benefit to everyone who travels in Watford.

Peter Taylor

Elected Mayor of Watford