The chief executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid, has delivered a strong rebuke of Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy’s threat to assume powers to deal with the homeless crisis.

THERE are groups all over the country busy making preparations for a traditional Irish wake – these are town councillors whose councils will disappear next month under what has been described by Environment Minister Phil Hogan as the most fundamental and radical reform of local Government structures since the 19th century.