Urban policy: the talk about "money pouring into the suburbs" is "totally false," according to Vergriete

The talk about "money being poured into the suburbs" for urban policy is "totally false," declared Patrice Vergriete, president of the National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRU), on Tuesday.

Traveling to three districts of Créteil that benefited from the Anru programs, the former minister and current mayor (DVG) of Dunkirk criticized in particular the speeches of the elected representatives of the National Rally (RN).

"The discourse that systematically points to urban policy (...), the discourse of deception, of lies, I cannot stand it (...). The systematic 'against' votes, even against educational housing projects, we can clearly see what lies behind it, it is the desire to reinforce the stigma and to profit from the stigma in certain neighborhoods," said Patrice Vergriete, judging the RN's "software" to be "absolutely incompatible with the values of national solidarity."

According to the General Directorate of Local Authorities, the amount of funding allocated to the department of Seine-Saint-Denis under urban policy in 2022 represented 50,59 euros per inhabitant residing in a priority urban policy district (QPV), compared to 116,86 euros for Haute-Marne.

"There is a national RN discourse, but there are also cities run by the RN that benefit from ANRU programs and are very happy with them," said ANRU Director General Anne-Claire Mialot.

Ten days before the next interministerial committee on cities (CIV), which is to set a course for urban policy, Patrice Vergriete considered that "the social aspect" of this policy was particularly "anticipated".

"I see it in Dunkirk, in neighborhoods that are now completely renovated, I still have issues of urban policy, because there are questions of radicalization, security, trafficking, education, employment," he emphasized.

"We can question the social aspect of urban policy, but if there is one thing that is widely agreed upon, it is that urban renewal has been a success," he also added, recalling that urban renewal is "necessary but not sufficient."

In the midst of preparing the 2026 budget, the head of ANRU reiterated his request to find 250 to 300 million euros while projects are in full swing.

"The lack of funding from the ANRU would be a blow to the renovation process," said the Socialist Party mayor of Créteil, Laurent Cathala, estimating that without the ANRU, a project would take ten years to complete instead of five.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.