In La Courneuve, a referendum for or against public toilets in the city – Libération

The municipality of Seine-Saint-Denis is organizing its 4th local initiative consultation starting this Thursday, November 7, open to foreigners, to better “share power” with residents. This time, the question concerns public toilets, in order to limit uncontrolled emptying.

Give the people a voice again, outside of major electoral events, on issues of local interest. In 2023, Parisians were called to the polls to decide the question of maintaining self-service scooters, accused of spreading anarchy in public spaces. La Courneuve, a popular town in Seine-Saint-Denis, is organizing a referendum on public toilets. From this Thursday, November 7, residents are invited to answer the following question: “As residents have suggested, are you in favor of installing free public toilets in the city?”

“Equal rights”

This referendum is the fourth organized by the municipality, which has made citizen participation a strong axis of its mandate program. Since 2021, residents over the age of 16, whether French or not, have been invited to give their opinion on local subjects in order to “co-construct public policies”, as specified in a press release from the city. All they need to do is prove that they actually live in La Courneuve. They have already been questioned about turning off public lighting at night; on the installation of 5G and Vélib' stations or even the creation of a more accessible municipal health mutual. With each vote, participation is a little higher in this city of 45,000 hours