Faced with crises, the department hopes for “voluntarism”

The president of the Moselle departmental council returned to the difficulty of preparing a budget with the uncertainties at the head of state. He asked for “voluntarism” in these times of crisis.

As explained just after the congress of the Departments of France, the departmental council will have to “make arbitrations” for its next budget. With the new Prime Minister, and a first version of a budget “made by Bercy”, “this end of the year could be one of worry, but I want it to be one of reaffirmed voluntarism”. Patrick Weiten recalled the complexity of establishing a budgetary project with so much uncertainty about the State budget, specifying again that the drop in allocations is not compensated and that the social envelopes (elderly people, disability or the 2200 children in care) are always larger.

“We are ready to participate but I refuse the decline of departments, especially the smaller ones. Unlike the State, the departments vote for their budgets in balance. In addition, we borrow to invest.” The budgetary orientation debate will therefore be postponed until January 27 “with political choices to be made again”. In the rest of the files on the table, Patrick Weiten also announced that “there would be no closure of nursing homes under my mandate” after revealing the financing of 8 establishments in cessation of payment (264,000 euros compensated).

White hydrogen, a new golden future for Moselle?

In Moselle establishments, the capacity rate is 96%. The department will therefore work with that of Mayenne to obtain the allocation of new beds in the territory. “There are on average 300 unused places, and we need them. We are making an inventory and we will ask the State to recover them. For this it may be necessary to build 3 or 4 nursing homes.”

Finally, the Moselle “must transform itself, become more and more attractive” also to face the crises (housing, societal, economic). This is why Patrick Weiten is calling for everyone to mobilize to support the white hydrogen project in our territory. “Since Forbach, I have been calling for voluntarism. We have a duty to support and accompany professionals who wish to invest in our territory. A whole sector could be created and make it possible to considerably increase the attractiveness of the Moselle.” In the meantime, the department will also look into another important issue: volunteering and recognition of their status while supporting adapted sport, sport in rural areas or inclusion, following the momentum of the Paris JOPs. First step Wednesday with a day dedicated to volunteers at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.