Young Reporter - Watford Mayor interview - Yusuph Choudhury Parmiters

“There is a bed for everybody”, “the government is on its last legs”, and the “Conservatives have dragged their feet”, are just some of the claims made to me by the Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor. Who did not hold back as we explored the intricacies of the town's most pressing issues, from homelessness, to special educational needs to anti-social behaviour. As well as his outspoken opinions on national politics ranging from shooting shots and dealing direct blows at the Conservatives to defending the Liberal Democrat Party leader Sir Ed Davy.Local SEN provision  When it came to handling local special educational needs provision, Hertfordshire County Council was found to be among the worst in the UK in a recent Ofsted area report. In a previous article, I interviewed Jennie Witter, the head of a local special school, and she confirmed this, hinting at the leadership of Hertfordshire County Council being the source of the issue. Elaborating on how important it is and expressing his desire that it serves as a “wake-up call” for the county council to make drastic changes and “step up their game”, the mayor jumped on this issue quickly and firmly placed the blame on them. Demonstrating the mayor’s willingness to voice dissent when he wants, something I found to be evident much later in the interview. He did, however, support this with pledges to "build a new special school over in Croxley (Croxley Green)".