Faced with the threat of a 5% cut in its revenue in the initial finance bill for 2025, i.e. 221 million euros as well as a loss of 100 million in VAT revenue miscalculated by the State, the regional council chaired by Valérie Pécresse (LR) is planning 760 million euros in savings in 2025 to anticipate "three years of revenue losses".
Criticizing what would be a "policy of cutting back" on the main regional skills of transport and high schools, the regional president reaffirmed her intention to protect these envelopes and to suspend the financing of all projects co-financed with the State, except in transport.
The "blank year" involves the cessation of renewable energy projects, housing subsidies except for urban renovation, as well as a training program for the least qualified job seekers.
Although aid of 500.000 euros, released for Mayotte, was welcomed, the battle of figures dominated the debates.
"This is a budget of unprecedented austerity," denounced Céline Malaisé (PCF), stressing that the draft finance bill only imposed "a reduction of 161 million euros" in 2025.
The communist opposition, which regularly denounces the "mismanagement" of the executive, has warned of a cut of 74 million euros in commitments to the construction of new housing, particularly social housing, of the drop in investments in making transport accessible as well as of the end of aid for returning to work.
"I insist on the disastrous effect that the measure of completely removing, without any moderation, support for various housing operations could have," declared the socialist Adrien Delacroix during the night session.
"The Region is not abandoning housing, it is suspending new commitments but is honouring commitments already made," Geoffroy Didier, spokesperson for the majority, told AFP, while the Vice-President for Housing Jean-Philippe Dugoin Clément promised a "resumption of short-term financing" in the event of "changes" in the State budget.
The socialists, for their part, denounced "a deceptive sanctuarization of investments in high schools", while the environmentalists criticized priorities "centered on non-obligatory skills such as security".
"The budget for high schools is protected. You are talking about a significant drop in investments that I do not find in the 2025 budget project," retorted James Chéron, vice-president in charge of high schools, recalling that the social pricing of canteens was maintained for the most modest.
The opposition also denounces a cut of 30 million euros in the social pricing of transport as well as 20,6 million in culture. According to it, the latter will "directly affect the operation of structuring cultural facilities" for a sector which concerns "300.000 direct jobs which are often precarious".
"We wanted to safeguard everything that is vital for culture," replied Vice-President Florence Portelli, dismissing the idea of a threat to live performance.