Several local councils are voicing their concerns about plans to merge Rotterdam and The Hague into one new metropolitan region, reports the Volkskrant.

The two mayors, Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam and Jozias van Aaartsen of The Hague, handed their plans to the 24 councils involved at the end of last week.
They want the councils to work together in seven policy areas, including the economy, education, spacial planning and transport.
On Tuesday, Schiedam council said it could see no added value in the plans. The mayor of Schiedam points out, for example, that employment opportunities are likely to be hindered when all the councils have to discuss them first
Strategic importance
He is also concerned that the borders of the metropolitan area are ‘laid on very thickly’, pointing out that in the maritime sector Schiedam finds it more strategically important to negotiate with cities in Drenthe province and with Antwerp.
Other local councils have complained the plans are being introduced too quickly and about the democratic legitimacy of the metropolitan area. They are also unimpressed by the messy way the plans are being handled.
Aboutaleb would not comment on Tuesday, says the Volkskrant. According to a spokesman in The Hague, the local councils are the backbone of the metropolitan region.