It is, according to them, “a drastic effort”. The deputies of the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced Wednesday during a press briefing a 30% reduction in “daily management expenses”, in a context of criticism around the conduct of the city, the Minister of Transport even going so far as to mention a “trusteeship”. Finance Assistant (PS) Paul Simondon clarified that there would be no impact on the public service but only on the “internal functioning of the City”.
During the examination of the capital’s 2023 budget in mid-December, the majority on the left will present “a whole section of savings inviting the City to concentrate on the essentials, to reduce the lifestyle of the central town hall and district town halls”, detailed the first deputy Emmanuel Grégoire. “There are associations which will see their subsidies reduced, not everywhere, not in the social field”, indicated Emmanuel Grégoire about this “generalized effort”.
“No elected official has a driver”
Supply purchases, “study budgets (…), recourse to advice, urban planning agencies” are particularly targeted, said Emmanuel Grégoire, describing as “unbearable fantasy” the request to give up cars with driver. The opponent Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Horizons) regularly calls for the removal of these cars which, according to him, would save 24 million euros in six years. Other opponents castigate Anne Hidalgo’s car travel.
“No elected official – (except) the mayor obviously for special needs – has a driver. Like all the assistants, we take the metro, the bus, the bicycle “in” 99% of the trips “, affirmed Emmanuel Grégoire, acknowledging however to have used a car the day before to go to the Hauts-de-Seine.
Guardianship?
In September, faced with the energy crisis, Mayor Anne Hidalgo had asked her deputies to find 250 million euros in savings. With the 52% increase in the property tax, Paul Simondon will present a “balanced budget” and even “in surplus on operations”, with 9.6 billion euros in revenue for 8.7 billion in expenditure.
As for the outstanding debt, another source of strong criticism, it should stand at 7.9 billion euros at the end of 2023, against 7.7 at the end of 2022, specified Paul Simondon.
“The financial situation of the city is healthy”, hammered Emmanuel Grégoire for whom “nothing justifies neither politically nor legally to evoke a putting under supervision of the city”, an option “not excluded” Sunday by the Minister of Transport Clément Beaune.