The mayor of Givors, Mohamed Boudjellaba, and Bruno Bernard, president of the Metropolis, in discussion. (@NB)
The tumultuous relations at the start of the mandate between the Metropolis of Lyon and the cities are normalizing. But the mayors, mainly on the right, still feel pushed around by this all-powerful community.
The mayors' revolt had polluted the start of Bruno Bernard's mandate at the Métropole de Lyon. Around forty mayors, mainly right-wing or centrist, criticized the force of the community, breaking with decades of veto rights for mayors. The adaptation to the software of the metropolitan fact, ratified by the law which created the Métropole de Lyon in 2014, was punctuated by the sound of slamming doors. The community, strengthened by the anointing of universal suffrage which was granted to it for the first time in 2020, is carrying out its program, sometimes clashing with the mayors' project. This conflict of legitimacy is unprecedented and actually works to the advantage of the Metropolis. The mayors' revolt gradually died down as the mandate progressed. “Relations with mayors are calmer. We listened to them. We have created an aid fund for municipalities of 10 million euros per year to support projects. We no longer talk about the mayors' revolt but I will be careful not to say that they are all happy. Today, we hear more individual expressions from mayors who have aspirations for 2026 and who are looking to create a buzz. analyzes Benjamin Badouard, co-president of the environmental group at the Métropole de Lyon.
