Local authorities are picky about their finances, and the government is therefore moving slowly. As the meeting of the High Council of Local Public Finances approaches, Tuesday April 9, the Minister for Local Authorities assured, Friday April 5, that, if “everyone must stand together”, the idea is not to impose coercive measures on local elected officials. It is, explained Dominique Faure, “to ask them: one, are you aware of the state of our country’s finances; two, do you agree to be associated; three, how? We’re going to listen.”
The tone is conciliatory, but the government does not budge: everyone will participate in the recovery of the country’s accounts. At the beginning of March, in front of the senatorsthe Minister of the Economy had said it bluntly. “We cannot say that there is the bad State on one side, the nice local communities on the other. It’s always the fault of the State, local authorities have no responsibility”, pointed out Bruno Le Maire, affirming that the increase in their expenses was compensated by the State. Elected officials were invited ” six times “ to debate it with him, in vain, he regretted, not hesitating to wave the red rag of the reduction of the territorial millefeuille.
Local authorities refuse to be “pick the pockets”. Because, unlike the State, they are obliged to vote for balanced budgets and therefore do not increase the country’s public deficit, they point out. Furthermore, the budgetary restriction imposed on them from 2014 to 2022 has already represented “71 billion euros” reduction in allocation, according to the Association of Mayors of France. Finally, if their expenses increase, it is due to external constraints (the increase in civil servants decided by the State, or inflation).
Reduced room for maneuver
On the majority side, recognizing that local authorities are “good managers”Dominique Faure notes that“they emerged from the crises with incredible resilience and extremely healthy accounts”. They even have 35 billion euros set aside.
Tuesday, everything will be on the table. But the room for maneuver is limited. The government has an interest in not undermining local elected officials. “They are our first investors in the territories, and if [les collectivités locales] had to make savings, they would reduce their rate of investment, and therefore employment”feared Mme Faure Friday.
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