'Strong belief' fewer councils will be more efficient
A local government expert has said governments have a "strong belief" that reducing the number of councils will lead to more efficiency.
Prof Tony Travers, from the London School of Economics, told BBC Radio Wales both the Welsh government and the UK government had a "strong belief that fewer councils mean more efficient councils".
He said the thinking was: "If you have fewer councils than you've had up till now, you'll get lower cost local government."
It comes as Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews warned the number of Welsh councils could be cut to as few as six, as he urges them to seek voluntary mergers.