Watford needs championining in the Budget

Letter to Matt Turmaine regarding the October Budget.

It has been over 100 days since the General Election and yet Watford is still waiting. Waiting for this new Government to make good on explicit promises made during the campaign. We debated at council recently the future of Watford General Hospital. It's future has been put into doubt as Labour reviews the New Hospital Programme despite explicit promises made by you and the Government. We know how dreadfully mismanaged the economy was by the Truss and Johnson Governments - but delaying critical infrastructure especially health and social care will not serve our interests. 

Labour should be investing in Watford General. The project has seen decades of hard work and action by the local council and the local NHS trust, and is ready to go. More than this, the budget should serve the people of Watford and deliver on issues affecting us - not dither, delay or return to cuts and austerity. We demand immediate funding for Watford General Hospital.

We also need to see Watford championed. The new Government should be fully funding the Levelling Up Fund so hard won by the local council team to invest in our town centre. We need to see investment in our railways, new signalling on the Euston line, and commitment to invest in Watford Junction to improve access and tackle congestion. We require a budget that invests in public transport, bringing the disused Croxley Line back into use, after the London Mayor cancelled the Metropolitan Line extension. We need to see our stations rezoned to Zone 6 to allow Watford residents to pay fairer fares to travel on local tube and train services.

These are specific demands our MP should be making on our behalf, not meekly toeing the party line.

We expect an MP for the town to reject a budget that doesn't support these projects for Watford.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Ian Stotesbury