Overview
- At the Assises des Départements in Albi, the prime minister said the government will file an amendment to double the rescue fund from €300 million to €600 million for the hardest‑hit councils.
- He tasked ministers with revisiting the Dilico mechanism, signaled openness to granting departments a share of CSG, and announced a December bill to create a single social benefit, alongside plans to overhaul regional health agencies.
- Départements de France counts 54 councils in near insolvency, with reports of about €6 billion in new state‑driven costs and an €8.5 billion revenue shortfall, while the Cour des comptes flags 15 in great difficulty.
- Service retrenchment is already visible, including closures of sexual health centers in Drôme, cuts to family‑planning subsidies in Loiret, steep reductions in cultural budgets in Ille‑et‑Vilaine and Hérault, and a declared €97 million deficit in Gironde.
- The government paused weekend sittings on the budget citing fatigue, prompting opposition claims of delay tactics as the Assembly faces a November 23 deadline, though ministers insist the timetable will be respected.