Using grazing sheep rather than lawnmowers on Council-owned land, sending children in care to boarding schools and cutting the number of traffic lights.

These are just some of the unusual ways that councils could save money, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance, a pressure group which campaigns for low taxes.

It has published a list of ‘201 ways to save’, which got a mixed reaction from Bradford’s political parties yesterday.

The Alliance said reducing the number of traffic lights could improve traffic flow while reducing costs, cattle and sheep could graze on council land to save money on grass cutting and children in care should be sent to boarding schools where possible to give them the best start in life.

The suggestions also include dismissing staff for persistent absenteeism, scrapping youth parliaments, sharing services with neighbouring authorities, reducing the number of councillors and stopping free meals or mineral water being handed out at Council meetings.

But some of the Alliance’s ideas – including closing public toilets, selling off Council-owned land and getting officers to ‘hot-desk’ – are already happening or are being considered in Bradford.

Last week the Labour administration unveiled its latest budget plan, which includes Council Tax rises of 1.6 per cent and a raft of proposed cuts as spending is reduced by £89 million over the next two financial years.

Council leader David Green said he was not sure employing grazing sheep as grass-cutters was a sensible way forward.

He said: “Some of the ideas from the Taxpayers’ Alliance are perhaps less applicable in Bradford than others.”

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said while she did not get a free lunch at the Council, she did agree that councillors could drink tap water.

Coun Sunderland said while all cost-cutting suggestions were useful, it was the spending surrounding the big political decisions of the Council’s Labour-led administration which needed the most scrutiny.

She said: “We do need to challenge the big things that make the difference but there’s no doubt we can all find hundreds of little ways to save money.”

Councillor Glen Miller, leader of the Council’s Conservative group, said: “If the Taxpayers’ Alliance had one councillor elected to the Council chamber they would be able to contribute to the budget setting process.”

Jonathan Isaby, political director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Far too often we hear unimaginative councillors insisting that they have no choice but to raise Council Tax and increase the burden on already hard-pressed families.

“But there are literally hundreds of ways in which local authorities can save money before even thinking about increasing the Council Tax.”