TWO of the town's leading politicians have ruled out following in former Chancellor George Osborne's footsteps by taking up a top post at a newspaper.

On Friday, it was confirmed that Tatton MP Mr Osborne had been appointed as editor of the London Evening Standard.

Shortly after the news broke, the Warrington Guardian quizzed Warrington South MP David Mowat and the town's Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Bob Barr on a range of issues during a live Facebook video interview at Mr Mowat's Stafford Road office.

But both confirmed they have no ambitions to switch careers, or take up a senior newspaper post.

Conservative Mr Mowat said: "It is not something that I believe I am particularly qualified to do and I was surprised when I heard the news this morning, just like everybody else must have been."

Cllr Bob Barr (LD – Lymm North and Thelwall) also ruled it out.

He said: "I limit myself to tweeting and blogging these days."

Among the other issues to come up were social care, Brexit and budget cuts.

The authority has increased council tax by 1.98 per cent this year and applied the additional three per cent 'social care precept' to take the figure to 4.98 per cent.

The move means band D residents face a £1,315.90 bill for the year – an extra £62.42 bill, amounting to £1.20 a week.

But Mr Mowat, who is a minister at the Department of Health, admits he fears there is no 'end in sight' to the alarming pressures on social care.

He said: "We have just put another £2 billion of new money into it, of which £10 million will come to Warrington.

"Is there an end in sight? The answer is no, because of the demographic pressures that are driving the costs and more people are living for much longer, which is a great thing.

"But it means we will have to take care of them and costs are getting higher and higher."

Cllr Barr said he 'sympathises' with Mr Mowat for his ministerial responsibilities.

He added: "He has one of the hardest jobs in Government in trying to square these issues.

"I think the social and health budgets have to be integrated.

"I think it is quite wrong that the funding burden should fall quite as heavily on local authorities as it does."

To watch the full interview head to the Warrington Guardian Facebook page.