Good news for Watfordians! There has been no outbreak of Covid-19 in our town! The town hasn’t been on lockdown! John Lewis hasn’t closed! We can look forward to a prosperous future with lots of money to spend on libraries, social care etc.

Or at least this appears to be the world in which Watford Borough Council has been living, if one judges our councillors on the nature of the issues they choose to spend their time debating. The council meeting of July 14 had to address the economic outlook facing our town, but chose to spend as much time discussing the need to change street names that offend the delicate sensibilities of the more “wokish” members of our community.

Ever eager to jump upon any politically correct bandwagon that happens to be trundling by, while a post-Covid Watford collapses around them, our councillors will spend their time and our money planning how to disrupt the lives and businesses of those who live on Rhodes Way, Clive Way, Colonial Way and Imperial Way.

This very selection of names in the motion debated by the council indicates the low quality of thought that is likely to go into its considerations. While, if one had nothing better to do, one might build a case for the removal of Rhodes and Clive, the removal of the terms “Colonial” and “Imperial” would be tantamount to erasing 1,000 years of British history, and to imply that everything about the British Empire was bad. Such a proposition would show ignorance and prejudice.

If despite the Covid crisis our councillors still feel they have plenty of time on their hands I suggest they go away and learn some history.

Ronald McGrath

Langley Way, Watford