Labour leader Cllr Nigel Bell’s letter (Letters, April 23) demonstrates how easy it is from the luxury of opposition to deal with difficult choices by wishing them away and pretending they don’t exist.

Although, to be fair, last time he and his colleagues were in charge at the town hall they took exactly this approach, which led to the council being named and shamed as one of the worst in the country with, among other things, a dysfunctional planning department.

The challenge we face about development is real. Under recent changes to planning rules brought in by the Conservative government, Watford’s housing targets have trebled over the past five years from 260 a year to nearly 800 a year. The Conservatives are making existing towns and cities bear the brunt of new development, letting rural shires off the hook.

The Government has made clear it will remove powers to reject development from councils that fail to deliver. Already, it has taken a step towards this by announcing that, under its new Housing Delivery Test, in Watford only half the required number of homes have been built in the last three years. Watford is not unique. Councils of all political shades, Labour and Conservative as well as Liberal Democrat, are having to deal with the reality of government targets and find solutions.

Faced with this challenge, we are seeking to retain as much local control as possible. This means prioritising key regeneration sites like Watford Junction and Ascot Road and accepting some taller buildings. This enables us to protect green spaces and take the heat off existing residential neighbourhoods to protect their character from over-intensification. Meanwhile, we are working with neighbouring councils to deliver new infrastructure.

Labour councillors attending local plan meetings have agreed with this approach and looked horrified at any alternative. Nigel has been notably absent from these meetings. It is the easiest thing in the world for Labour councillors to nod along, remain silent or not turn up when difficult decisions are being taken, then sound off in the Watford Observer against whatever has been decided.

Refusing to face reality seems to be the Labour opposition’s default setting at the town hall under Cllr Bell’s leadership, but it is not a responsible option for anyone actually running the council.

Cllr Iain Sharpe (Liberal Democrat)

Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development,

Watford Borough Council