UPDATED: Can you guess who it is?

By Liam Murphy on Dec 15, 09 02:36 PM

It must be almost every politician's dream - to be taken for the most generous and popular man of the Christmas season: Santa Claus.

And after the year the ruling coalition of Labour and the Lib-Dems in Wirral have had, some Christmas cheer would no doubt be very welcome.

So it was a bizarre turn of events when a member of Wirral Council was unexpectedly approached while out shopping to be Santa at one of the area's most popular Grottos, Burleydam Garden Centre's Father Christmas by the Fireside, which also raises money for Claire House Children's Hospice.

Lib-Dem councillor Alan Taylor with his granddaughter at the Burleydam Garden Centre near Little Sutton when excatly this happened.

The centre has some 2,000 children meeting Father Christmas in the run-up to the big day and donates the proceeds to Claire House Children's Hospice.

Since 2003 Cllr Taylor has been a regular Santa at Grove St School in his ward along with regular appearances in the red suit at the New Ferry Farmers' Market.

See the the full story here.