Sébastien Lecornu announced Thursday, November 20 before a congress of mayors to study the idea of a bonus “normal” of 500 euros for each mayor, for “safe” the actions they take.
“We cannot ask mayors, state officials, to continue taking risks without looking (taking this risk) recognized(e). So I asked the ministers to work on the principle of sovereign bonus (…) which could represent 500 euros per year for each mayor, regardless of the size of the municipality”said the Prime Minister at the end of 107e mayoral congress meeting in Paris. It’s about “safe (there) ability (from the mayor) to take a certain number of actions on behalf of the State”.
The head of government also intends to take a “big decision” leading up to Christmas for “cut” about thirty standards “absolutely real”. He plans to remove another 70 “between January and February”.
“Save representative democracy”
He listed several actions he would like to see removed, including his own “favorite” : annual obligation to empty municipal swimming pools. “I hope that the start of the city’s next term can be very simple”summarized Mr. Lecornu.
The Prime Minister, who fell short of a majority to pass his budget, condemned the move “political chaos” in Parliament. It’s necessary “successfully saved representative democracy” And “ensuring that a path of compromise can be found” on budget, “because I don’t see much good news for this country after the political chaos”he said.
“I don’t see much social progress that can result from political chaos”also not “much progress for local authorities, local public services for those who tomorrow will commit to their areas”he said. “And in the midst of this difficult geopolitical situation, France cannot afford to regress simply against a backdrop of political turmoil.”
Although the number of resignations has steadily increased since 2020, two studies published in the fall of 2024, for the first time, lifted the lid on the mental health of mayors. The first research, carried out by sociologists Didier Demazière and Jérôme Pélisse, from the Center for Organizational Sociology (Sciences Po Paris-CNRS) together with the Association of French Mayors and Intermunicipal Presidents (AMF), revealed that 83% of city council members consider their mandates to be dangerous for their health and say they ” often “ vulnerable to high stress or sleep disorders.
The second study, carried out by the Amarok Observatory, under the direction of its president, Olivier Torrès, and doctoral student Mathieu Le Moal, of the University of Montpellier, together with the Association of French Rural Mayors, shows that, although there is general satisfaction in carrying out their mandate (69.3%), “31.4% of mayors face the onset of burnout”while 3.48% attended “risk of severe fatigue”.
