Left-wing communities fear being dragged into the “general drowning” of public accounts
Representatives of left-wing regions, departments and municipalities denounced the Government’s draft budget on Tuesday, for fear of being dragged into the “general drowning” public accounts, while the government foresees 5 billion euros in savings for local authorities.
During a joint press conference organized in the Senate of Paris at the initiative of the socialist group, representatives of the United Territories, which groups under its flag the Regions of France, the Assembly of French Departments (ADF) and the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), have taken a step forward.
“We are very concerned about this project that requires excessive effort on the part of local authorities”worried the president of the French Regions, Carole Delga, hoping that the evolution of budget debates would return to normal. “fair and proportionate effort”without “break growth”.
The deputy vice-president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), André Laignel, stated that “The State is drowning and runs the risk of dragging communities into this generalized drowning”denouncing “an unprecedented purge”.
These representatives of the Socialist Party considered the amount of 5,000 million euros of savings for the communities proposed by the Government in its finance bill to be false. Laignel estimated the impact at 9.7 billion euros, while Mr.me Delga felt that it would be “closer to 10 billion”taking into account in particular the cut of 1.5 billion in the green fund.
No less than 85% of the departments will have “negative net savings” current 2025 if the budget is voted like this, calculated Jean-Luc Gleyze, president of the left-wing departments of the ADF, and according to him 29 departments will be “with deficit” from the end of 2024.
The president of the socialist senators, Patrick Kanner, criticized for his part “a logic of infantilization of local authorities, which become an adjustment variable for the budgetary negligence in which the government itself has placed the country”.
He promised “struggle” during the budget debates in the Senate, the territorial chamber that traditionally defends community budgets, but whose majority alliance between right and center has joined the ranks of the government majority since the beginning of the school year.
