Châteauroux has decided: the management of its car parks and paid parking lots will pass into the hands of the private company Effia, a national leader which already controls more than 600 car parks in France. The announcement, made during the community council of November 13, 2024, sparked lively debates.
This public service delegation (DSP) aims to meet growing maintenance needs and finance essential modernization work for the city's car parks. The contract provides for 4.5 million euros in renovations from 2025-2026, a sum that the municipality could not have mobilized alone, according to Philippe Simonnet, finance assistant. “We looked for the best value for money”he stressed.
The opposition denounces the price increases
On the opposition side, the project is going badly. David Navarro, an opposition politician, denounces the cost of this privatization and is concerned about an inevitable increase in prices for users. “Current prices will be maintained in 2025, but it is clearly indicated that an annual update will take place, with scheduled increases of 5% in 2027, 2030, and 2033. »
Philippe Simonnet tempers these concerns by specifying that the revisions are indexed to inflation, in order to maintain the economic balance of the service.
The argument does not convince everyone. Danielle Faure, also an opposition MP, insists: “Prices will increase by more than 15% over seven years. How will employees from the entire department, which uses the car parks, be able to cope with such an increase? » She calls for reflection on a new organization in public transport which would take care of people parked in free car parks, a point ignored, according to her, by the municipality.
It remains to be seen whether the promises of service improvement will allay concerns around future prices.
France
