If you need to go to city hallthis Tuesday, November 19, you could find the door closed, in around forty communes in Hautes-Cévennesnotably (the list can be found here.) Mayors protest against the 2025 finance billwhich plans to reduce the resources allocated to local authoritiesto the tune of 5 billion euros. The date of the mobilization is not trivial: it is also this Tuesday that the 106th congress of mayors of France, in Paris.
“If we let it go, soon, reduced opening hours will be more regular“, explain Sylvain André, mayor of Cendras and President of the Association of Mayors of Gard. “There are actions throughout the national territory, mobilizations in front of the prefectures, there are around fifty town halls to close in the Gard. All these symbolic actions, I hope, will be heard by the government.“
THE causes anger:the lie of the State, which places responsibility for the country's debt on communities. It has been 20 years since the community debt has changed. We only borrow to invest and our budgets are balanced, but they make us look responsible.”
The second point directly concerns the amounts allocated: “They want to cut resources from local authorities, to the tune of 5 billion, and up to 11 billion according to certain analyses. Which means fewer public services, less investment in municipalities.”
Stopped projects, layoffs and abandoned public services
In his commune of Cendras, Sylvain André has a whole list of stopped projects : “the roof of the old eco-museum is leaking, that of the Malataverne school is old, it should be redone, but we don't have the means. A municipality works like a household: we spend the money we have, with very little room for maneuver..”
Sylvain André is angry: “Three years ago, I had a position in the technical department and a position in the administrative department. I had to choose to only keep the technical position because we no longer had the means. This is unacceptable because tomorrow it will mean fewer ATSEM in our schools, fewer agents in the canteen to welcome children, less reception time for the public from our town hall agents, fewer State periods. civil… We are in the decline of public service, we cannot let this happen, our fellow citizens need it more than ever.”
Among the spending items that have increased: energy, in particular. EBetween 2019 and 2023, the bill increased from 40,000 to 112,000 eurosaccording to calculations by Sylvain André.
The fear behind it is no longer finding candidates to be mayor, a little over a year before the municipal elections.. 2,400 elected officials have resigned since 2020, which is a third more than during the previous term. “Up there, in Paris, they don't realize that we are facing people. We are the first rampart of the Republic. We are on the front line, we receive them in the office. Me, every Monday afternoon, my office is full.”
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