THE trouble with words is that, if carefully chosen, they can mean almost whatever the speaker wants. Especially when uttered by that universal functionary of modern life, the Official Spokesman.

Small wonder that political and business leaders in Liverpool are intensely wary of the University statement that is it “considering all options” when it comes to the long-term future of the halls of residence, in south Liverpool.

The phrase could mean anything or nothing. At one level, the University statement could be taken at face value, a simple statement that it is open to any ideas, even though they may be quickly rejected.

But, in these cynical times, the suspicion is lurking that the University is, in fact, well down the road to a massive shake-up of its accommodation needs.

The university halls dotted round Greenbank Park and Mossley Hill are in some of the most desirable parts of the city. If the University was minded to sell them when the property market eventually picks up, it could find it is sitting on a gold mine.

And given the likely constraints on academic spending for the foreseeable future, it must be tempting for the university to cash in on these assets.

If the political will was there, there is probably no physical reason why the students housed in Mossley Hill and Wavertree could not be relocated to new city centre accommodation.

Given the suspicious noises from the leader of the City Council, however, the University would have to come up with some very convincing arguments indeed. The last thing either the University and the city need is for the two to be at loggerheads.