A couple of the town hall’s leading ladies are set to try and beat the pounds and train people for work at the same time.

Cllr Barbara Sidnell and Theresa Coyle MBE - part of Islington Council’s housing executive - will undergo a gruelling eight week fitness regime at the Sobell Leisure Centre, in Hornsey Road, Holloway, in a bid to shed a stone apiece.

For every £500 the pair raise in sponsorship, Aquaterra, the company who run the Sobell, will train two people from the area to be fitness instructors, who will, in turn, help other people from the nearby Andover Estate lead healthy lifestyles.

The pair follow in the footsteps of political heavyweight Cllr Troy Gallagher, who is attempting to drop three stone from his 18 stone frame to raise awareness of fitness opportunities in his Bunhill ward.

Cllr Sidnell, said: “I know how important exercise is for staying healthy, but I don’t feel like I can promote it to other residents if I’m not doing it myself.”

Ms Coyle added: “Like a lot of Islington residents going to a gym and exercising has never been a top priority for me, but I am also a great believer in practising what I preach so if we raise some money and get fitter by doing so, I am more than happy to give this challenge a go.