Following the announcements related to six billion euros in savings mentioned at the public finances alert committee, senator of Alpes-Maritimes Alexandra Borchio Fontimp is requesting guarantees for local authorities, believing that the current uncertainty is hindering the budgetary visibility of local executives.
Budgetary uncertainty weighing on territories
The sequence opened by the public finances alert committee creates new tension around the announced budgetary trajectory. The lack of clarification on the distribution of planned savings is fueling growing concerns in the territories. Alexandra Borchio Fontimp believes that « the lack of clarification on the breakdown of the six billion euros in announced savings is maintaining worrying uncertainty for local authorities. » This situation limits the ability of local executives to anticipate upcoming financial decisions and complicates budget preparation.
The senator reminds that local authorities have been contributing for many years to the effort to restore public finances. Allocations have experienced continuous decline. Contributions have increased in recent finance laws. Responsibilities exercised have expanded, often without sufficient compensation. This reality must be acknowledged, according to Alexandra Borchio Fontimp, who emphasizes that « local authorities should not be presented as insufficiently contributing to the effort to restore public finances. »
Local budgets must be balanced. This principle structures territorial public action and prevents any contribution to the public deficit. Local authorities remain moreover the primary actors in public investment, « at approximately 70 percent. » A reduction in their room for maneuver would directly undermine local investment. Structuring projects, local public services and the economic vitality of territories could suffer the consequences.
Guarantees requested to preserve local investment and self-governance
The senator is requesting clarifications on the exact breakdown of announced savings. The direct and indirect consequences must be known. Local authorities are particularly concerned about reductions in credits channeled through state operators or cuts in subsidies. Such a development would weigh on local budgets and reduce the scope for action of territories.
The question of new charges also holds a central place. Alexandra Borchio Fontimp is requesting guarantees on effective and lasting compensation. Local authorities are assuming increasing responsibilities. These charges must be accompanied by adequate resources to avoid a lasting imbalance between missions and means.
Another concern relates to the possibility of imposed spending trajectories. Such an approach « would raise major difficulties with regard to the principle of self-governance. » Many local expenses escape the control of territorial executives. Standardized trajectories, without taking these constraints into account, risk placing local authorities in an untenable situation between legal obligations and limited resources.
Faced with these risks, Alexandra Borchio Fontimp is calling for an approach based on dialogue. Local authorities must be involved in defining budgetary guidelines. The work undertaken with a view to the finance bill for 2027 must make it possible to restore the expected visibility. The relationship between the State and local authorities must be based on « transparency, stability and recognition of the essential role of local authorities. »
This position is part of a clear line: local authorities cannot become the adjustment variable for national budgetary balance. Any strategy to restore public finances must preserve their investment capacity and their central role in the life of territories.
