Trump-style spending cuts policy call from Birstall and Birkenshaw councillor
A Birstall and Birkenshaw councillor wants Kirklees Council to set up a new department to slash spending and “gut” the local authority - by taking cues from Donald Trump
Ward councillor for the areas Josh Sheard (Con) took to social media to set out his vision for a new council department.
The department, inspired by the US government’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), would cut waste and streamline Kirklees Council services, he explained.
This comes as the council prepares to set its budget for the 2025/26 financial year, working to address £29.3m shortfall.
The draft version includes a 4.99 per cent council tax hike, up to 100 redundancies and increased fees and charges, to help make £27.6m worth of savings.
While Labour members say the council is in its financial predicament due to a lack of funding under the Tory government, Coun Sheard argues it is a result of years of “Labour mismanagement”.
“We need to take a look at what’s going on over the pond,” he said.
"President Trump and Elon Musk are actively working to put the people first through DOGE, so that’s why I’m now calling for the creation of a Department of Council Efficiency (DOCE)—a dedicated team focused on cutting waste, merging duplicate roles, streamlining services, and ensuring every pound is spent wisely.
"A team built to bring common sense economics back.
“This isn’t about politics; it’s about fairness. We cannot keep burdening families with tax hikes while millions are wasted on bureaucracy, vanity projects, and ideological pet roles that do nothing to improve our communities.”
Councillor Sheard envisages a department that would abolish what he describes as “wasteful” diversity roles and trade union subsidies, as well as streamlining departments to save cash.
Duplicate roles would be merged in a bid to reduce management “bloat” and protect frontline services, five percent council tax rises stopped and every pound of spending accounted for.
Commenting on Labour’s draft budget earlier this month, leader of the council, Coun Carole Pattison, said: “With rising costs and inadequate central government funding, councils have faced difficult decisions to balance their budgets.
“But this is a budget that gives Kirklees financial stability for the future which is so important to maintain and improve the services people rely on.”