A file at the top of the battery. Accompanied by his Minister of Economy, Éric Lombard and his colleague to local authorities, François Rebsamen, François Bayrou on Monday afternoon a great operation to allow the municipalities to find safe.
“It really is the mayor of Pau who talks to other mayors. It is rare as a position when you are prime minister,” says Driss Ettazaoui, President (Modem) of the Association of Elected officials of France with BFMTV.com.
Hot backup
By deciding to continue his mandate at the head of the city of Pau, François Bayrou broke a 30 -year tradition. No Matignon tenant had made such a decision from Alain Juppé in 1995.
Suffice it to say that, therefore, the centrist was not going to confiscate the hot archive of the moment for cities with almost 1,500 municipalities that find it difficult to ensure, according to the Association of Mayors of France.
In question: the rejection of insurers or prices practiced are considered too high as after the passage of natural disasters. But without insurance, impossible or very complicated that cities open their nurseries, gyms or nurseries or primary schools with which they have competition.
Canceled contracts for no reason
In Vesoul (Haute-Saône), for example, Mayor Horizons Alain Chrétien had the unpleasant surprise of a letter from his insurance last summer, offering him to continue ensuring it, but with a figure that has something to sweat cold, almost 280,869 euros. However, in 2024, he had managed to ensure his commune by means of cheaper. In more general terms, its bill has tripled in four years, a challenge in a context of rare public money.
Worse, other municipalities have sometimes seen their insurance contract exclusively and simply finished, without any reason as in Palaiseau (Essonne), a city close to several municipalities affected by the summer disturbances of 2023 after the death of the young Nahel.
“I am very surprised because we do not have a bubble container, we do not have a broken window, we had nothing at all during the disturbances,” laments the mayor, Grégoire de Lasteyrie (horizons).
Bayrou “is not a mayor like others”
When looking for a new insurer, “we realize that we first have an insurer who responds, since the premium is multiplied by five and that the franchises finally multiply by 100, 200 or even 500,” he sighs the councilor.
Given this observation documented in a report last year, François Bayrou decided to upload on the front line and take over several proposals presented this Monday afternoon.
“It is good that he speaks of this. But he is not a mayor like the others. We do not have the same problems when we are leaders of the Matignon party and the little mayors such as the little mayors,” says Christophe Dietrich, mayor LR of Laigneville (Oise).
“Sincere”
However, the maneuver has the advantage that the Head of Government shows that the maintenance of his mandate in PAU has a certain meaning and also allows him to know his realities.
“There have been prime ministers for those who are not noble subjects to talk about all this. Attal, for example, did not stay for a long time, but he is not interested. He, Bayrou, is sincere,” explains a Modem deputy.
Who never lost any municipal council of Pau, which is to dry a face to face in Mayotte after the approval of the cool cyclone and launch an animated controversy, divided a long journey to all the mayors of France last February, encouraging them to bring them back to all complaints in a mailbox.
For weeks, François Bayrou has been in full seduction operation with elected officials. Defender of the return of the accumulation of mandates that allows to be mayor and deputy at the same time, lightened the economies requested from the communities by Michel Barnier when he was in Matignon.
You had Macron
Which allows him to take the opposite vision of Emmanuel Macron, who has never managed to approach mayors from the end of the housing tax, a tax considered unfair by the head of state. But municipalities have lost one of their main financial resources and judge that the State has never compensated for the deficit.
Therefore, François Bayrou’s work cannot damage municipal elections within a year, while the Macronie that has never managed to anchor locally, hopes to establish alliances with the right.
But the prime minister also seeks to convince the Senate of his good will. Far from a fragmented National Assembly, the upper chamber that represents communities has repeatedly allowed the Government to advance texts such as the Simplification Law on Economic Life last week.
“The prime minister wants to put himself in the good thanks of the senators. It is quite obvious and there, he continues with very consensual issues. Obviously, that will please,” he judges the political scientist and specialist in the Patrick Le Lidec communities.
Boycott
Will the measures announced by the Prime Minister be enough? Concern increases the ability to find mayors in all municipalities. Since 2020, more than 2,000 mayors have resigned, often approaching exhaustion, sometimes fed by attacks.
The Association of Mayors of France obviously does not decide to reduce the pressure on the issue of finance. It was expected on Tuesday in Matignon to discuss any effort made with the 2026 budget, he announced boycott the meeting.
Source: BFM TV
