Reform of the provinces, rationalisation of public structures, municipal mergers and savings for the benefit of citizens: in an interview with La Province, Jacqueline Galant, Walloon minister and titular mayor of Jurbise, looks back at the major projects that are profoundly transforming, and will continue to transform, the Walloon institutional landscape in the coming years.
“This is really going to be the legislature of all the changes.” The tone is set! For Jacqueline Galant, this legislature must mark a genuine turning point in the way public authorities function and use the resources available to them.
Fewer structures, fewer elected office-holders and more resources for citizens: that is the course set by our minister. Merging municipalities and CPAS, reducing the number of office-holders, reforming the provinces and rationalising intermunicipal bodies: the announced reforms aim to make public authorities more efficient while preserving the quality of services to the population.
Savings where they are genuinely possible
Asked about the proposal to abolish an alderman's position in Mons, Jacqueline Galant highlights the relevance of this approach, while stressing the need to take the realities of each municipality into account.
In large cities, where aldermen have their own offices and staff, the potential savings are significant. In smaller municipalities, costs and resources are quite different. But in Jurbise, where several municipal and CPAS services have already been merged, efforts continue to go even further.
Municipal mergers: citizens at the heart of the decisions
Jacqueline Galant also discusses the talks around a possible merger between Jurbise and Lens. A prospect that must above all be studied seriously and transparently, analysing the consequences for taxation, schools, nurseries and local services.
With one priority: preserving residents' quality of life and the services they are entitled to.
The minister also announces the upcoming launch of a major citizen consultation campaign entitled “The only opinion that counts is yours”, to gather the expectations and concerns of residents in both municipalities.
Rationalising to serve better
The minister also calls for a thorough review of how intermunicipal bodies operate, as she believes there are too many of them and their structural costs are too high. At a time when citizens are being asked to make efforts, public bodies must also contribute to stricter management of available resources.
Beyond these reforms, Jacqueline Galant also addressed several local matters, notably the political situation in Frameries, the Boucle du Hainaut and the works at the Dragon junction in Jurbise.
An interview that illustrates a strong ambition: to make this legislature one of profound transformation of Walloon public structures, with one central goal: public action that is simpler, more efficient and more focused on citizens.