national

Government to announce scrapping of town councils

The government will announce further mergers and abolitions of councils around the country next week, in a move which is expected to make significant savings in the budget.

It's understood all 75 town councils around the country will be scrapped at or before the local elections in 2014.

Others like Galway city and county councils are to merge, as will Waterford city and county councils. This has previously been done in Limerick and Tipperary.

The government is also expected to announce its decision on a directly elected mayor for Dublin.