The government is determined to press ahead with legislation abolishing borough councils in Rotterdam and Amsterdam before the election, home affairs minister Liesbeth Spies told parliament on Monday evening.

A majority of MPs back scrapping the extra layer of local government but this may change after the September 12 vote.
Protests by city officials, who say they would not be able to prepare for the change by 2014, were met by deaf ears. ‘I have no reason to doubt that both cities have had enough time,’ Spies said during the debate, pointing out the move has been on the cards for some time.
Amsterdam has seven borough councils, Rotterdam has 14. The intermediary government layer organises local services such as rubbish collection and parking, as well as providing passports and other official documents.
The draft legislation will allow big city councils to set up local advisory committees with fewer powers and duties than the current set up.
The measure is not aimed at saving money but at reducing the size of the government apparatus, Spies said. The savings of some €7.5m per city will be offset by the cost of providing the same services to locals, she told MPs.