an unprecedented agreement finally reached between the City and the Metropolis
After a year of tension, the metropolitan councilors of Aix-Marseille-Provence voted new means granted to the central city.
“Les enfants terribles have become wise parents”, quipped Lionel Royer-Perreaut, Renaissance deputy, on the set of BFM Marseille Provence. He mentioned the agreement reached between the city of Marseille and the Metropolis.
After a year of tension, a series of deliberations have finally been voted on by the metropolitans. They make it possible to grant more responsibilities to Marseille, a central city, particularly in terms of road management and cleanliness. The Métropole has also undertaken to invest 200 million euros over four years for road issues.
Towards peaceful relationships
This agreement was obtained within the framework of the 3DS law, which obliges the communities to distribute the competences between the communities before the end of the year, and not without hitches.
The process has long come up against political differences between the president of the Metropolis, Martine Vassal (Les Républicains), and the mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan (Divers Gauche). These dissensions have even been described as “chicayas” by Emmanuel Macron when he came in September 2021 to examine his “Marseille in a big way” plan.
On the side of Martine Vassal, the process was not so long, especially since she considers “never to have had any difficulties with Benoit Payan”. Guest of BFM Marseille Provence, she responded to Lionel Royer-Perreaut. “Those who say we are terrible children, should look at home,” she scoffed.
Marseille once again considered a “central city”
Concretely, this agreement will allow the City of Marseille to manage new skills. A step forward while Benoit Payan has been calling for several months to obtain the management of the competence in particular related to the collection of waste, hitherto devolved to the Metropolis. This question was particularly raised during the garbage collectors’ strikes that followed one another in Marseille several months ago. The mayor then regretted not having enough means to act.
He now says he is “very happy” to have finally reached this agreement. “It’s been a long road, it’s a metropolis that comes from very far away. For years, it was not a metropolis and this city, which is its center city, was not considered as it should be. be considered”, declared the city councilor at the microphone of BFM Marseille Provence.
The maintenance of the roads of the Phocaean city is also put back on the front of the stage. The metropolis has undertaken to invest 200 million euros over four years.
According to information from BFM Marseille Provence, Christine Juste, deputy mayor of Marseille in charge of the environment, and Perrine Prigent, delegate for the improvement of public spaces, could be appointed to follow up on files.
“Metropolitan solidarity”
Behind this agreement is another unprecedented upheaval, namely the validation of a “financial and social pact”. The latter makes it possible to set up a community solidarity endowment for cities with lower financial potential and which have neighborhoods in city policy, like Marseille. The Marseille city will obtain annual grants of several million euros.
“It is at the cost of effort and daily work that we have finally succeeded in making Marseille the central city so that there is solidarity”, comments Benoit Payan, boasting of having “succeeded in get 15 million euros this year, 30 million euros next year and 45 million the year after.”
“I am very happy to have succeeded in obtaining metropolitan solidarity. It is somewhat normal for the rich to pay for the poor. It is my idea of solidarity”, added the first magistrate of Marseille.
There is still the question of funding. Some municipalities are afraid of having less money from the Metropolis. An idea refuted by Martine Vassal, who claims to work with Didier Khelfa – mayor of Saint-Chamas and vice-president of finance for the metropolis – to find solutions.