Watford mayor Peter Taylor has called on MP Dean Russell to “stand up for Watford” and support an amendment to stop targets “forcing us to build higher”.

The mayor and cabinet member for planning Cllr Glen Saffery (both Liberal Democrats) called on the Conservative Watford MP to back an amendment to scrap mandatory top-down housing targets.

More than 40 Conservative backbenchers have signed the amendment to the flagship Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which would ban councils from taking housing targets into account when deciding on planning applications.

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Cllr Saffery added: “If we keep Tory housing targets and the unfair Tory planning system, we will have more Tory towers in Watford.”

Mr Russell responded by defending the bill as a move that will give communities more power over planning, not less, and protect them from unnecessarily tall towers.

The MP also questioned why no Liberal Democrat MPs have added their name to the amendment.

He added: “Having an outdated Local Plan which fails to challenge the housing target is what removes power from residents – not this bill.”

The mayor defended the local plan, highlighting that when it was brought to full council there were no votes against it.

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