Accumulation of mandates, reduction in the number of elected officials, decentralization… Eric Woerth’s proposals to “restore trust” between the State and communities

After several postponements, the Renaissance deputy of Oise submitted his report to the Head of State, commissioned in November.

Return of the accumulation of mandates, reduction in the number of elected officials, elimination of the Greater Paris metropolis… In his report commissioned by Emmanuel Macron and delivered Thursday May 30, Eric Woerth formulates 51 supposed proposals “restore trust” between the State and communities. After several postponements, linked in particular to the crisis in New Caledonia, the Renaissance deputy of Oise submitted his copy to the Head of State, with the objective “to bring more clarity to our territorial organization”.

The document devotes a large part to this, with numerous avenues for better distributing skills between municipalities (housing), departments (home help, roads, museums) and regions (economic development, seaports, Intercity trains).

Eric Woerth took the opportunity to also take a position on politically sensitive subjects, such as the accumulation of mandates. The former minister therefore recommends restoring the possibility, removed since 2017, for all deputies and senators “to exercise the mandate of mayor, deputy mayor” or president of an intercommunity. In the same electoral register, he suggests “reduce the number of municipal councilors by 20%”i.e. a decrease “of the order of 100 000″ elected at the national level.

This reduction is intended to allow “better identify them, better pay them and better protect them”. Furthermore, it recommends increasing the compensation of elected officials from municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants, who are sometimes tempted to resign during their mandate or not to run again.

The merger of two local elections is also envisaged, in order to“elect in the same election” regional and departmental advisors. On the other hand, the report does not remove any strata of communities, as Emmanuel Macron had requested. Municipalities and intermunicipalities would thus be entrusted with skills in matters of housing policy, “including aid for energy renovation”.

Added a specific section on Paris, Lyon and Marseille, where mayors should in the future be designated “according to common law”therefore by “a two-round list ballot”. The metropolises of these three cities are also targeted, in particular that of Greater Paris, which “failed to achieve [son] objective” and that Eric Woerth proposes to “DELETE”with the idea of “ultimately making Ile-de-France a ‘metropolis region'”. In addition, the four strata of intercommunalities (communities of municipalities, communities of agglomerations, urban communities and metropolises) would also be merged.

Another potentially conflicting point concerns the capital’s ring road, currently managed by the City of Paris and which the report recommends to be “nationalize”in order to “bring consistency to the management of strategic roads in Ile-de-France”.

Other points which could arouse local sensitivities: the proposal for a “specific law” for the metropolis of Aix-Marseille “in the event of persistent political blockage”and the one at “maintain the European community of Alsace in the Grand Est region” also risk awakening local susceptibilities.