According to a report in today's Echo, some 60% of all Liverpool council houses fail to reach basic decency standards as defined by the government. Out of the 21,657 properties, 13,000 are rated as substandard, meaning they lack at least one of the following:

* Sound structure
* Heat
* proper access to water and waste disposal
* Sound electricity and gas connections
* Windows and roof that do not leak
* Walls that are not coming apart

In response, Liverpool's housing chief, Cllr Flo Clucas, gave an indication of her priorities, "When we talk about decency standards this means problems with the structure of homes, not what they look like. We have not got the money to do this."

So in this Culture of Capital, only appearances count. We must put on a good show.

And yet, according to the report, the necessary repairs will only cost £117 million. Whilst this may seem a lot of money, it pales into insignificance when you compare it to the estimated £1 billion that the 2008 events will bring into the city. So Liverpool will be turned into a tourist resort for a few years, the already rich will get much richer, whilst the poorest, and their homes, will presumably get much poorer.

Council house residents must come together to fight for their rightful share of the funding windfall, before matters get much, much worse.