NOTWe, local elected officials, spokespersons for residents and ociations of working-cl neighborhoods, are issuing a warning cry to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, pending his speech on the “2030 neighborhood commitments”.
The suburbs are on the verge of asphyxiation and their inhabitants are facing numerous crises. A situation of food distress strikes the inhabitants. In France, over the year 2022, high inflation resulted in a fall in consumption which reached the figure of 4.6% and in an increase in food prices of 13.2% (with a rise more important for distributor brands), according to INSEE. A sad record since 1960. This translates into dramatic situations. Residents are forced not to eat at all meals, and the number of people appealing to emergency food distributions is only increasing. The feedback from solidarity ociations is worrying.
Secondly, the difficulties in paying rents and charges should alert us. In 2022, half of HLM organizations recorded an increase of more than 10% in the number of rents in arrears of more than three months. This situation will undeniably worsen in 2023.
Also, the unemployment rate remains high in the territories, particularly in working-cl neighborhoods, where it is 2.7 times higher than that of other neighborhoods in urban units.
The ecological crisis and its consequences also add to the difficulties encountered by our inhabitants. The summer of 2022 counted thirty-three days of heat wave, a difficult situation for people living in urban areas and which will continue for the next few years.
The number of people who no longer make use of their rights is at a worrying level, accentuated by the weakening of public services, which amplifies the digital divide suffered by many citizens.
Abandoned by the Republic
In addition, it should be noted that the ociations, which have done remarkable work during the Covid pandemic, are now at their wit’s end. Local authorities are suffering from the increase in costs and major delays in urban renewal projects, so they find themselves unable to start work and have to revise downwards these projects launched ten years ago. This situation amplifies the doubt of the inhabitants in the public speech.
Faced with the distress of the inhabitants who have the feeling of being abandoned by the Republic, we are asking the government for an emergency plan for the suburbs. As part of the hundred days of consultation, it is vital to put in place a long-term system to fight against food insecurity, to freeze energy prices for social landlords and to release a contribution of 2 billion euros. intended for the National Agency for Urban Renewal.
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