On March 15 and 22, the French will vote to elect their municipal councils. A few of them will vote in “new municipalities”, created by way of the merger of a number of municipalities. Ten years after the primary important waves of regrouping, hindsight is enough to supply an preliminary overview of this coverage.
The (arguable) concept that it could be vital to scale back the collection of French municipalities is previous and repeated by way of a number of actors: the federal government has simply sped up the distinction of a invoice in this matter.
A number of measures had been taken lately to inspire municipalities to come back in combination. Thus, the standing of “new municipality” was once created in 2010 and has been modified a number of instances: it permits grouping – some actors are reluctant to discuss “merging” – a number of municipalities inside the new entity. This then has the entire municipal powers, however has the power to take care of inside of itself a prison life (albeit in large part symbolic) for the previous municipalities, changing into “delegated municipalities”. Since 2014, tax incentives have additionally been offered.
As of late, there are 844 new municipalities, which carry in combination 2,724 ancient municipalities and virtually 3 million population. Whilst the brand new municipalities created in 2015 (the 12 months of the primary important wave of mergers) have handed their first decade and the municipal elections in March 2026 are drawing near, it’s suitable to take a look at this phenomenon, amongst different issues, as a result of it’s the topic of a undeniable collection of preconceived concepts.
Gained thought no. 1: “The merging municipalities are very small rural municipalities”
Verdict: Most commonly pretend
The coverage of lowering the collection of municipalities in France is according to the concept that there are too many very small municipalities. It’s true that French municipalities are much less populated than similar entities in different nations and that they’re extra a large number of.
On the other hand, on the very least, there’s dialogue concerning the rationale consistent with which the collection of municipalities will have to be diminished in order that by way of merging every of them will collect a “critical mass” relating to inhabitants. More than a few research relating to a imaginable “optimal size” have problem figuring out it: there is not any demographic threshold above which a municipality could be extra environment friendly than underneath.
On the other hand, ranging from the primary, which was once due to this fact mentioned, that very small municipalities constitute an issue for the effectiveness of public motion, do mergers make it imaginable to resolve this problem? All in all, no.
Very small municipalities (fewer than 200 population) are rather underrepresented within the merging municipalities in comparison to the share they constitute in all French municipalities. The merging municipalities in reality have a median inhabitants (404 population) very similar to that of the opposite municipalities (426 population).
In any case, the proportion of municipalities with not up to 200 population has higher, since 2012, from 25.9% to twenty-five.4%. If the main function of the coverage of the brand new municipalities was once to greatly scale back the collection of very small municipalities, we will say that, if no longer a failure, it “failed.”
Very small municipalities aren’t overrepresented a number of the merging municipalities
This chart illustrates the share of merging municipalities (crimson) in comparison to the share of unchanged municipalities (blue), by way of inhabitants team. We will see that there is not any overrepresentation of small municipalities a number of the merging municipalities, as a result of there is not any important distinction between their proportion a number of the merging municipalities and a number of the unchanged municipalities. The one exception: municipalities between 200 and 500 population, moderately overrepresented amongst merging municipalities (32%, in comparison to 29% of unchanged municipalities). Equipped by way of the writer
The merging municipalities aren’t systematically rural both. Thus, 6.7% of the municipalities that merge are within the city space. This won’t appear to be a lot, however of all French municipalities, municipalities positioned in city spaces constitute most effective 12.7%. New municipalities are due to this fact a bit extra commonplace in spaces a long way from city facilities, however they aren’t restricted there.
Gained thought no. 2: “Communal mergers make it possible to achieve coherence between living territories and administrative territories”
Verdict: It is extra difficult
François Baroin, who in 2017 because the president of the Affiliation of Mayors of France (AMF) closed the third assembly of latest municipalities, believes that “living spaces are the ones that have created the conditions for improving cooperation between municipalities”, indisputably regarding the theory of an area the place folks transfer for his or her paintings, relaxation and buying groceries.
On the other hand, new municipalities are most effective in part created in line with the territories skilled. If we have a look at the merging municipalities that belonged to an city space in 2014 (sooner than the majority of mergers), 35% of them merged with different municipalities that didn’t belong to the similar city space. If we glance in particular at journeys from house to paintings, in 72% of circumstances the primary go with the flow from the merging municipality does no longer cross to the merging municipality, however to a 3rd municipality. Thus, there’s a distinction between the executive community and the territories practiced and skilled by way of the population.
Gained thought no. 3: “Municipal mergers enable economies of scale”
Verdict: Most commonly pretend
Actors just like the AMF put ahead the concept that mergers would virtually mechanically permit economies of scale, this is, the pooling of prices to scale back total prices. On the other hand, a learn about on price range tendencies between 2011 and 2022 contradicts this assumption. Those effects had been additionally present in a learn about protecting municipalities created in 2016, 2017 and 2019. We don’t practice a lower in prices: to the contrary, they in most cases building up considerably within the years after the merger.
As an example, if we glance in particular on the evolution of municipalities’ running prices between 2011 and 2022 (ie their prices with out funding), the gang of merging municipalities skilled a better building up (+31%) than the gang of different French municipalities (+28%).
A top-down procedure that turns out to prefer abstinence
Two ultimate issues will also be made.
To start with, the switch to a brand new municipality is made up our minds by way of the municipal councils of the merging municipalities, which aren’t obliged to seek the advice of the inhabitants. Ceaselessly, elected officers go away him just a restricted position within the development of selections, both on account of the worry of opening a democratic “Pandora’s box” that pushes for a scientific assessment of the choices made, or on account of mistrust within the selections of the inhabitants, who’re perceived as no longer very enlightened. A mayor interviewed as a part of my paintings stated in 2016: “People will vote for something, but they don’t necessarily fully know all the details. So (…) in my opinion, this is not the right solution.”
As an example, in regards to the identify of the brand new municipality, it is not uncommon for citizens to be invited to signify it or even vote for the only they prefer higher. Alternatively, it’s the elected officers who will retain keep watch over over the overall choice or the strategies of variety (for instance, deciding at the names to be submitted for session), permitting them, in the end, to direct the vote. This raises the query of the proper position left to the inhabitants in those kinds of participation or session.
In any case, we realize an building up in abstinence in new municipalities. Thus, between 2014 and 2020, participation in municipal elections diminished a lot more considerably in new municipalities than in unchanged municipalities: the proportion of electorate relating to the collection of registered electorate fell by way of 21% in new municipalities between 2014 and 2020, in comparison to a fifteen% decline in unchanged municipalities. No doubt, the overall lower in participation will also be defined by way of the context of the pandemic. Nevertheless it didn’t, a priori, have a unique impact at the new municipalities, without reference to their dimension.
Each and every part introduced right here can not on its own delegitimize the brand new municipalities. It’s transparent that positive merger tasks make sense and meet the objectives they have got set for themselves, akin to combining buildings or body of workers, expanding the abilities of municipal groups or culminating a decade of cooperation relating to public services and products or apparatus. Measuring those advisable results could also be complicated and merits additional research.
On the other hand, it could be fascinating that during fascinated by new municipalities, all related knowledge will have to be taken under consideration, with out preconceived concepts, and that grouping selections could be made on a valid foundation. Cohabitation is infrequently in comparison to marriage, however simply because we will practice satisfied {couples} doesn’t suggest that everybody, let on my own someone, will have to get married!
In spite of everything, we will have to name for the following weeks of campaigning on the municipal degree, along with programmatic and birthday party problems, which is probably not missing, to be a chance for debate on those problems associated with new municipalities in order that within the municipalities that experience merged in addition to in those who may imagine it, the democratic debate is nurtured and enlightened.
