On Thursday, November 7, 2024, 26 town halls in Muretain Agglo, near Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) will be closed, and covered with the slogan “public service in danger, town hall in danger!”. A symbolic action to denounce the threats weighing on the public finances of local authorities. The announcement of 5 billion euros in budget cuts by the Government revolts local elected officials.
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Robert Cassagne (SE), Mayor of the town of Empeaux (Haute-Garonne) does not lose his temper and says “revolt”, concerning the finance bill which plans to cut 5 billion euros from local authorities. A budget cut with serious consequences for this small town of 300 inhabitants which has an annual budget of 160,000 euros.
“Either we increase taxes, or we put things aside, we maintain spaces less, we will try to play but that is why I am a little revolted. We do not always have to adapt we will have to have at a given moment take strong actions, even very strong ones!”specifies Robert Cassagne.
To express this fed up, like Robert Cassagne (SE) 25 other mayors of the communes of Muretain and its agglomeration, will close their town hall on November 7.
All municipal entrances will be covered and carry the slogan: “public service in danger, town hall in danger!”
A symbolic action followed by the mayor of Muret, André Mandement (PS) and president of Muretain Agglo. Its town hall will also be closed on November 7. A symbolic action carried out by Mayors who say they are strangled by charges, environmental standards and budgetary cuts.
An operation which also aims to raise awareness among citizens of the difficulties encountered by today's mayors. More and more of them are resigning, overwhelmed by responsibilities and forced by a lack of financial resources.
“When we tell you that we are spending too much, I then say what am I taking away? Do I stop funding the municipal police? The maintenance of public buildings of our heritage? maintenance of streets, squares? Do I stop financing social assistance? What do we stop? Because unlike the State, we must have a balanced budget,” he explains. mayor of Muret.
The action is carried out by 26 municipalities of Muretain, a decision taken unanimously by the mayors of this territory to express their fed up with the executive, the Government and the President of the Republic who “suffocate local communities”.
André Mandement has been Mayor of the commune of Muret for 16 years, the councilor says he has never experienced such a situation:
“In 16 years in office I have not experienced such a degree of alarm. I have not heard such exasperated citizens, such desperate businesses and such lost elected officials. It is time to react, we must know how to say stop!”
“For many years, we have seen a certain number of elected officials perched a little far away from the reality on the ground. They have developed a certain number of laws without imagining the practical impact that we could have on the territories and the economic disaster that this would cause.
He calls on the State to become aware and to hear the dismay of Mayors, particularly those of small towns who are no longer getting by and who are “ready to throw in the towel”.
By closing their municipalities on November 7, elected officials want to push the State back. They also put forward another argument, local authorities would only represent 9% of the country's total debt and would account for 82%, a large part of public investment.
Written with Jordan Lasserre