French mayors and local councillor associations have united to oppose proposed cuts of up to €11 billion in the 2025 draft budget proposed by Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
In a rare joint press conference on the side-lines of the 106th Congress of Mayors, local councillor associations reiterated their strong opposition to what they described as cuts amounting to between €10 and €11 billion in the proposed 2025 budget, which the government has labelled as "five billion euros of savings".
David Lisnard, President of the Association of French Mayors (AMF), said Wednesday, “We are united not to contest the principle of savings, but to say that what are presented as savings on the local authority bloc are in reality essentially deductions.”
He emphasised that local authority debt has remained “stable for 30 years” at “just under 9 percent of total GDP” and warned, “The measures proposed are recessionary measures which – in the end – will have a recessionary effect on State budget revenues.”
Posting on X, the AMF wrote: "The associations representing local authorities are calling on the government and parliament to amend the finance bill so as to re-establish the trust and dialogue with mayors and presidents of inter-municipal bodies that are essential if our country is to overcome the crisis in public finances."
Negative impact
Joining him were representatives from seven other local elected associations, all voicing their rejection of the government's plans.
Gilles Leproust, president of Ville et Banlieue, highlighted the serious concerns within working-class towns, stating: “In our working-class towns, there are a lot of concerns about this budget. It's going to have a huge impact on the residents, but also on the associations that are ... the lifeblood of democracy and social life in our towns.”
Meanwhile, Christophe Bouillon, president of the Association des petites villes de France, warned of the potential consequences: “We are often described as social shock absorbers. When the shock absorbers are removed, when there is a democratic crash ... that's the risk we face, and it hurts a lot.”
Communities 'penalised'
Jean-François Debat, acting president of Villes de France, also criticised the government’s approach, saying, “This levy will result in a drop in investment and a deterioration in public services,” describing the method as “brutality” and “totally excessive and violent.”
The associations issued a joint motion opposing the proposed ‘€11 billion in levies, underlining, “It is today's residents who are going to be penalised by the withdrawal of local public services.”
They added, “It is their children who will suffer from a slowdown in investment to combat global warming.”
The elected representatives are calling for the removal of three planned measures – including a €3 billion ‘precautionary’ fund – from the upcoming draft budget.
