The vote took place this Wednesday evening at the board of directors of the Public Housing Office (OPH) of Bobigny, in a tense climate. A majority of administrators approved the exemption of rents for the month of April (excluding charges), for the 4,000 homes in the social housing stock. Objective: to help low-income families impacted by confinement.
“The meeting took place in a very tense atmosphere. The representative of the prefect took it hard when she tried to express her point of view,” indicates an elected official from the National Housing Confederation (CNL, representing tenants).
Notable fact: the president of the OPH, Jonathan Berrebi, member of the municipal majority, voted in favor of the exemption. The latter – who did not wish to answer our questions – had nevertheless expressed serious doubts about the merits of this measure, in a letter to tenants in April. He notably mentioned the complicated financial situation of the OPH, in the midst of a recovery plan.
The city will pay €800,000
Arriving “late, head down” according to one of the participants, he seemed to have remained in the background during the meeting, leaving the outgoing mayor Stéphane De Paoli (UDI) to present the deliberation himself. “Mr. Berrebi was asked several times what he thought of the measure, but he evaded the question,” said an administrator.
The deliberation voted on Wednesday evening acts, according to the document of which Le Parisien has read, an “exemption from the rents for the month of April collected by the OPH” in the form of “a reimbursement of the sums receipted by the tenants”. She specifies that the town of Bobigny undertakes to pay an “exceptional subsidy of €800,000” to the office by the end of June. “This represents almost two thirds of the financing for this measure which amounts to a little more than 1.3 million euros,” specifies Christian Bartholmé, 1st deputy (UDI) who is also a candidate for municipal elections.
The deliberation was voted on by a majority of administrators… but without the votes of the CGT administrator, representatives of CAF and Action Logement, who abstained. The executive director of the OPH, who usually attends the board of directors, was absent from the meeting.
Representatives of the CNL, for their part, refused to take part in the vote, denouncing an “operation which is more akin to electoral propaganda than a measure of real solidarity for tenants”.
“The cost of this exemption will necessarily be reflected elsewhere”
On the CGT side, we are also outraged. “The tenants say to themselves: great, we’re not going to pay. Except that they will still pay, since the cost of this exemption will necessarily be reflected elsewhere, on charges, maintenance”, storms Nadia Giunta, union representative within the OPH.
The subsidy must still be voted on in due form during a municipal council. According to Christian Bartholmé, this should be held on June 3.
Nothing yet says whether this spectacular measure, announced last month by the municipality (UDI), will be implemented. In fact, specifies the deliberation voted on Wednesday evening, it will be necessary for it to pass the legality control of the prefect. Which looks rather bad: the State representative considers that this board of directors should not have been held, the convening deadlines not having been respected.
“People need help now”
In a letter dated May 20 addressed to the president of the office that Le Parisien was able to consult, the prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis asked him to postpone the board meeting “for formal reasons”. “It was up to you to allow a period of 10 days between the convocation and the examination of the deliberations included in the agenda,” mentions the letter.
“In the event of an emergency, this period is reduced to 3 days,” explains Christian Bartholmé, also a candidate (UDI) in the municipal elections. We are going through an exceptional health crisis. In three months, the OPH lost the equivalent of a month’s rent. The emergency is here! The majority of directors were also present at the board of directors. »
The elected official, who came in second position in the first round of the municipal elections, defends himself from any electoral decision. “In all town halls, even in those where the elected officials won in the first round, the teams took exceptional decisions to help their residents during this epidemic. So yes, some will say that we could have refined the system so that it only benefits those who really need it. But if the OPH had had to sift through 4,000 tenant files, nothing would have been done before December! But people need help now. »
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