I was somewhat taken aback to say the least by the comments from the recently elected Mayor of Watford to the ‘event’ put on at the Watford Colosseum by David Icke on Friday November 23.

Read more: David Icke denies anti-Semitism after Labour protest at Watford show

It will not do for our elected Mayor for Watford to distance himself from the fact that the Colosseum, ultimately owned by Watford Council, put on this event by a man widely accepted as promoting anti-Semitic views and stating that, “This event was a private booking as part of a wider national tour which has not been organised by the Watford Colosseum.”

He goes on to state that it would be wrong for him to decide who speaks at Watford venues as an elected politician.

What a mealy-mouthed cop out from someone who is supposed to be Watford Borough’s foremost politician.

An elected mayor who weekly states in his press releases to the Observer, whether it be on crime figures, planning policy or the problems of the new Watford market, how he acts swiftly and is always so quick to get a grip on any issue in the town.

So what happened this time and why didn’t he make a big issue of the unsavoury David Icke and his repellent views when he first knew of the event to the Watford Observer?

Watford residents, and more to the point council taxpayers, who paid over £5million to modernise the Colosseum, have a right to know when Peter Taylor first knew that David Icke was going to be using the Watford Colosseum barely a few hundred metres from his own mayoral office.

If Peter Taylor wants to be seen at the forefront of the news in the town he should have spoken out publicly much earlier, and demanded action from the Colosseum management especially at such a sensitive time for so many of our residents.

Cllr Nigel Bell

County councillor for West Watford