Jim'll Fix it for you.

Any candidate for the Mayor will need some cash for the campaign. While the deposit is £500, the maximum allowed expenditure for the campaign is about £22k - its based on £2k base and the about 4p per voter. Its not a lot.If it seems a low figure, you'd be right. David Bartlett over at the Liverpool Post speculates that its deliberately low to give Joe Anderson an advantage over any independents who must spend some of their money on setting up the 'campaign machine' while the established parties have everything in place.

Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour are bankrupt (in the financial sense) but can always find funds for a campaign and their various supporters will stump up enough dosh to manage a reasonable campaign. I imagine that both parties will be looking to deliver strong campaigns. Even though the LibDems are opposed to the Mayor, they are desperate to revive their fortunes in Liverpool.

The Conservative Party are yet to declare if they'll stand a candidate although President Tony Caldiera did recently suggest that he'd like to be Mayor. I've jokingly put elsewhere that the Tories might want to save the deposit, but if they do decide to put up a candidate you can be sure they will be fully supported with funds from Lord Ashcroft.

It has been rumoured that celebrity hairdresser Herbert Howe might run as a Tory candidate but I can't confirm if this is guess work if there's something more to it - his views are the typically social conservative with a large does free enterprise.. Whether he stands for the Conservatives or as an independent he is likely to be OK for funds. It suggested that he is properly minted although his flagship property on Hanover Street still remains empty bar the salon and that must have cost a bomb to build. Maybe it's Herbert's in name only and the deeds are owned by some Irish investors or a clearing house somewhere. He always looks a million dollars so I don't imagine he's going to struggle to meet the maxium.

I don't know about Liam Fogarty, he might struggle to get a decent pot together if he hasn't got a source of patronage or his own funds. Although his 'Mayor for Liverpool' campaign had a few well profiled supporters its not clear that it ever had much financial backing but then its not clear that it ever needed much! But then at £22k its not a huge sum to raise.

Phil Redmond has probably got a stash of his own after selling his stake in MerseyTV to All3TV in a £35m deal. Its rumoured that the late Jimmy Saville, a good friend since the Grange Hill days, left a decent wedge in his will for his mate Phil. So a Redmond campaign is unlikely to be short of a few bob. Maybe Jim has fixed it for Phil and that's why he being very relaxed about declaring!