The government presents twelve simplification measures for local authorities

Between 2009 and 2023, the burden of regulatory inflation on local authorities is estimated at 14,6 billion euros, while the cost of overlapping skills is estimated at 7,5 billion euros, according to reports from two missions entrusted to the mayor of Charleville-Mézières, Boris Ravignon (DVD).

The twelve proposed measures open a cycle of work between the Minister of Regional Planning and Decentralization, François Rebsamen, and associations of local elected officials, the ministry explained during a telephone press briefing.

The prefects also have two months to submit simplification proposals to the minister.

The long-awaited rules on "public-public" conflicts of interest, which prevent mayors representing their municipalities within public structures from participating in deliberations concerning these same structures, will be simplified "so as to exclude all public interests from the definition of conflicts of interest."

To ease the criminal pressure on elected officials, automatic functional protection, which allows a community to provide legal assistance to its elected officials, will be extended to all elected officials who are victims of violence.

Other measures aim to simplify the daily management of communities, such as the possibility of organizing office or committee meetings by videoconference.

A large section also concerns human resources and the control of legality of recruitment to target only "high-stakes" acts (general management jobs, etc.).

Similarly, the production of mandatory human resources reports will be simplified, as will certain acts, particularly in the event of the renewal of contract workers.

Other measures aim to give more room for maneuver to local authorities, for example by removing the obligation to create a municipal social action center (CCAS) or a school fund.

Another set of measures also aims to simplify planning law, including the easing of solarization and greening obligations for public buildings by 2028. The obligation threshold will thus increase from 500 m2 to 1.100 m2.

Multi-site planning permission will also be generalised when a project carried out by a stakeholder concerns several sites, while electronic public participation in public inquiries will be generalised.

Moving a sports club to a higher division will no longer automatically result in costly upgrades to the sports equipment concerned.

Interviewed by Ouest-France on Saturday, François Rebsamen explained that the savings generated by these measures "could be counted in billions" of euros.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.