French mayors warn ministers: budget cuts will put public services and social cohesion at risk
The new French government under prime minister Michel Barnier plans to make savings of up to 60 million euros through tax rises and spending cuts. At least five billion euros of these scheduled savings in the 2025 budget – which will be debated by MPs this week - will hit France's local authorities, to the dismay and concern of regional political leaders. Here, mayors from three very different communities all tell Mediapart of the real-life consequences that these cuts will have locally, in particular on public services and in adapting to climate change. Interviews by Ilyes Ramdani.
TheThe cut of at least five billion euros that the French state intends to inflict on local authorities in 2025 as part of the new government's planned budget has not gone down well. In recent days, town councils, inter-communal councils, département or county councils, and regional councils have been united in their criticism of the proposed cuts by Michel Barnier's government, which they believe will have an even greater financial impact than that forecast – closer to eight or nine billion euros than five billion. As the National Assembly starts debating the government's budget proposals in the finance bill this week, local authorities are themselves anxiously preparing their own budgets for 2025.
