Under the mandates of François Bayrou, Pau's debt almost doubled

Let us hope that François Bayrou, who, despite his recent appointment as prime minister, seems to want to remain a grassroots elected official, will be inspired by his experience in the Pau municipal council. Indeed, the new head of the executive found the time to chair the last council of the year this Monday in his stronghold of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. For more than 10 years, the leader of the MoDem has been the mayor of the commune of Pau, as well as the president of the Pau Béarn Pyrénées urban community.

During this exchange, which should take place early in the evening according to the city's website, the mayor will notably have to chair discussions concerning… the city's budget for next year. The investment projects for 2025 will be debated in particular at a time when, at the national level, the adoption – although necessary – of a finance bill (PLF) as quickly as possible seems more inextricable than ever. In addition to the heavy political task incumbent on him, François Bayrou will have to find the means to rebalance the adrift public accounts.

1,440 euros of debt per inhabitant

A mission whose spirit ironically contrasts with the municipal financial results of Béarnais. Indeed, according to figures from the Ministry of the Economy, the outstanding debt of the city of Pau increased from 60.2 million euros at the end of 2014 – the year when François Bayrou took the mayor's chair – to 110.9 million euros in 2023, i.e. a debt of 1,440 euros per inhabitant for this municipality (the national average for towns of 50,000 to 100 000 inhabitants like Pau is around 1,300 euros). In the initial budget for 2024, we learn that this outstanding amount is expected at 113.9 million at the end of 2024 but should stabilize “before falling at the end of the period” up to 111.7 million in 2026, according to forecasts from the municipal team. In 2023, as an order of magnitude, the operating budget of the city of Pau amounted to 113.5 million euros and its investment budget to 48.2 million euros. Its deficit, also called financing needs, reached 4.7 million euros.

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As for the Pau Béarn Pyrénées community of communes, the outstanding debt has also increased in recent years, going from 124.4 million euros in 2017 to 187.5 million euros per year. last. This increase can be partly attributed to a multi-year investment plan ” ambitious “mentioned in the agglomeration's budgetary orientation document for 2025.