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Julien Munoz
Published on
November 21, 2024 at 12:31 p.m.
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There is always this feeling of lightness in seeing buses disembark at Luxembourg Palaceon the sidelines of the Congress of Mayors, Porte de Versailles in Paris. Under the gold of the Republicthe beauty of things does not dispel the angereach time more deaf.
On Tuesday, 5,000 mayors, gathered before the congress, wore a black scarf. I've been coming for years, and I've never seen such concern about the situation. We have reached a critical point.
This meeting was particularly anticipated this year. A contribution of “5 billion euros” is currently required of them, i.e. “12.5% of the overall savings effort » of 40 billion euros.
THE associations of elected officialsthey rather evaluate the invoice at 11 billion euros. All deplore a denigration of municipal action and a disintegration of means.
Where the heart beats
Early September 2024the accusation of having causes the deficit to slip addressed by the previous tenants of Bercy had ignited the powder. Between the obligation to vote for balanced budgets et a stable debt for 30 yearsTHE reproaches to communities went very badly.
In the capital, the voice of the “small republics” of the Channel also wants to be heard.
The State is the only one that can present an unbalanced budget. For us, everything is complicated. There is so much paperwork, it takes too much time. At the moment, there are floods, there is a need to clean the rivers. To do this, you need to create files of 30 to 50 pages. This is not normal!
Communities need a breath of fresh air to live up to the taxpayers who have placed their trust in them. Investment is the dynamics of the municipalities, their capacity to make land and to weigh on economic activity.
To balance budgets, we reduce investments. The entire local economy suffers. “This year, we are going to prepare the budget at the last moment, depending on what the State gives us or takes away from us,” comments Alain Leclère, maire of The Hague.
“Denounce the fool’s game”
As deputy president of the Federation of Socialist and Republican Elected Officials, Benoît Arrivé welcomed “300 left-wing elected officials” on Wednesday in Paris. He then participated, with Olivier Faure and a number of PS and various left-wing mayors, at a point at the entrance to the Congress. “We have denounced the fool's game that is being presented to us today, believes Benoît Arrivé. When I hear certain senators explain to us that two billion is less worse than five, I do not accept. These are two billions too much. Communities do not have to compensate for Macron's management errors and ideological choices.
Deteriorating conditions
Since the start of their mandatesay the mayors, the conditions of exercise keep on deteriorateat the same time as room for maneuver. Inflation is here.
I just made a multipurpose room. Between the time I started working on the file and the opening, I took 700,000 euros in capital gains out of an amount of 3 million. Plus 150,000 euros price revision.
Of the plus-values which are not financed by grants. Result, you have to borrow, and debt climbs, for the investment and not the functioningunlike the state. During this time, the prime d’assurance explodes.
In The Hague, for example, it will increase by 400% in 1is January 2025. When presenting a budget, mayors first look at the recipes on which they will be able to rely. If the money does not follow, the file is postponed.
“Until now, when we resume the profession of faith of the campaignwe have made good progress, comments Noëlle Leforestier. I'm wondering about next year. I have a multipurpose room and a place that I want to redo. But without subsidies, I can't. I also want to make sanitation. If the Water Agency does not follow up correctly, it will cause problems for me…”
“If France had been managed like our communes…”
For the Senate, it will be two instead of five. Gérard Larcher, president of the Upper House, announced this weekend that he hoped to reduce the budgetary effort requested from communities for 2025 from 5 to 2 billion euros. The start of the examination of the draft Finance Law 2025 (PLF) is scheduled for next week at the Palais du Luxembourg.
“Weakening local authorities, endangering their budgetary sustainability, is to weaken public services and reinforce the feeling of distrust that many citizens may harbor,” explains Sébastien Fagnen, PS senator for Manche. “It also puts many businesses at risk. In our department, we know how many of them, particularly in the artisanal sector, have to rely on the public investment represented by communities. »
After heated debates in the National Assembly, which finally rejected the “revenue” part of the budget last week, it is the government's initial text, criticized from all sides, which arrives in the Senate. And he intends to make his mark.
“An effort will be asked of everyone, but I believe that it must be made by those who still can,” indicates Béatrice Gosselin, LR senator for Manche. “And not on all the communities which are bloodless. When I see the Department and its social aspect, we must preserve it. You shouldn't break what works. Even if it is complicated, there are solutions to be found. »
On Friday, November 15, Prime Minister Michel Barnier opened the way for certain reductions to calm the anger of the departments, pressurized by social spending. However, he did not put forward any specific ideas. Expected this Thursday at the Congress of Mayors, he could try, once again, to reassure. However, the room for maneuver remains limited. The interest burden on the debt now reaches the level of the Armed Forces budget.
“The country is in a difficult situation, and we must rise to the level of national interest,” insists Philippe Bas. “If France had been managed like our communes, it might not be where it is. It would be a big mistake to penalize the inhabitants of our communities. They would see the school canteen, lighting or water treatment deprived of resources. Our artisans and businesses would see their situation become even more complicated. »
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