According to Le Figaro, through balanced finances, Angers representatives take care of their image

Angers town hall

Under the title "Big towns, the mayors take care of their image", the national daily Le Figaro has studied the lifestyle of 36 French towns. And Angers is among them. The aim of the newspaper is to check that way of life of those cites is not disconnected with the cure of austerity, the state, the private sector and the housholds faced in 2012 and will endure in 2013. For that purpose, Le Figaro has listed a series of financial figures ranging from expenses regarding the local representatives, operating as well as capital expenses, and debt. 

A. Despagnet

Regarding the debt, Angers is the second French city with the smallest amount of loans to refund : 128 € per inhabitant (The first has 25 €). That point has always been a caracteristic of the management of the town since the election of Jean Monnier, and his deputy mayor in charge of finance, still in function in 2012, André Despagnet. The average of that series of French towns of more than 100 000 inhabitants is above 1 000 €. The rank of Angers is rather satisfactory regarding the operating and capital expenses.

The Gare + project

The operating expenses sumed to 624 € in 2011, what is a little bit less than the national average (639 €). Other towns have, one 306 € that year and another, the double (771 €). On the side of capital expenses, Angers, with 315 € in 2011, is above the average (311 €). But between 2010 and 2011, the expenses recorded an increase (2,6%) in the operating budget and a strong decrease (-26%) in the capital budget. 

Fréderic Beatse (right), Angers mayor

The way of life of local representatives has been analysed through their communication expenses and the mission fees. In the field of the communications expenses (for 10 000 inhabitants), Angers is credited with 152 318 € per year while the national average is around 114 000 €. But, the dispersion is important : a town has 27 000 € per year and another around 317 000 € (the double). The mission fees of Angers city representatives reached 1 010 € but the neighbouring Le Mans is much more thrifty : 112 € while Nantes representatives spend 1 014 €.