Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor’s recent statement on the play and exercise areas in Cassiobury Park is disingenuous. He said: “We recognise how important people’s daily exercise is during lockdown and we are fortunate that Watford has so many great parks and outdoor spaces for people to visit.”

If he recognises the importance of such exercise, why has the council taken the decision to fence off the outdoor gym area, a space that rarely attracted more than single figure usage at any one time, yet allowed the children’s play area to remain open with maximum capacity of 75?

The Government guidance does not dictate that outdoor gym areas should be closed, in simple terms it merely states that owners must assess and manage the risk of Covid-19 transmission. Allowing up to 75 people to congregate in the children’s play area but close a space that seldom sees more than single figure uses is a strange decision. At a time when the health of the nation has never been so important surely the council should do all it can do encourage people to exercise and help to protect themselves from this insidious virus. I would urge those responsible to reconsider this decision.

Simon Causer

Watford