“A bill of incredible brutality”… Why the mayor of Blagnac refuses to go to the congress of mayors of France

While many mayors and presidents of intermunicipalities are preparing their bags to go to the congress of mayors of France next week in Paris, Joseph Carles will not be on the trip. With this symbolic gesture, the PRG mayor of Blagnac criticizes “a finance bill of incredible brutality”.

Before making his decision, Joseph Carles and his cabinet did the math. Traveling to the capital for the congress would only cost the municipality 4,500 euros. An almost anecdotal sum, compared to the savings measures that could be requested from the city with the new finance law. Each year, Blagnac would have to deprive itself of “three million euros” in its budgets. There, the councilor sees red. “The State wants to ask communities to repay the debt that it itself created,” says Joseph Carles.

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Thus, the absence of any Blagnac delegation at the congress of mayors partly responds to the State's injunction to communities to tighten their belts. Joseph Carles quips: “there is no such thing as a small economy”. But the message remains the same. The mayor of the town since 2017 does not go to Paris to publicly express his “disagreement with state decisions”.

What impact in Blagnac?

The municipalities are already quantifying the reduction in municipal budgets, and the savings to be made. In Blagnac, that’s three million fewer each year. However, Joseph Carles presents a nuanced situation. The latter relies on “proactive management of hiring at town hall” to save money. Understand that not all retirements are systematically replaced. A measure that has already existed in the city “for three years”, according to Joseph Carles.

The chief magistrate of the western Toulouse commune, however, announces that “subsidies to associations will not be reduced” in 2025, despite the reduced budgets announced. The same goes for credits granted to children and youth, which should not be cut. No postponement planned either for the work undertaken in the city.

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Joseph Carles attributes this continuity to Blagnac's “financial robustness”. However, the mayor does not hide his concern in the medium term. “We can hold on like this for a year, but after that we don’t know where we’re going,” he fumes.

Finally, if the elected official refuses to go to the congress of mayors, he nevertheless says he is “confident in the associations of elected officials” to lead the fight against the government. With, in sight, the hope of obtaining more lenient budgets for local authorities.