Dear members — we hope you had a lovely long sunny weekend. In today's main story, Harry Shukman has spoken to some of the key figures vying for political power on the Wirral, a few weeks before this year's local elections.

Thanks for your comments on our weekend read about how Liverpool’s communities are changing after an explosion of Houses in Multiple Occupation. It provoked an interesting comment from one member, who wrote:

As a foreigner (32) and young professional living in an HMO in Wavertree/Picton, this article was quite surprising to read.

Where I come from, Zurich Switzerland, more people living together is considered to be a good thing, because it means less empty rooms/houses, shorter commutes and in general less carbon emissions from heating and traffic.

I just arrived here two months ago and I also noticed that there is a lot of litter on the streets and in frontyards compared to my home country. I don‘t see many people in my area, and especially not many that I would recog…