The Regional Chamber of Accounts has just made public its report on the management and finances of the city between 2016 and 2020. She devotes an entire chapter to the aquatic center, the largest of its type north of Paris.
The financial magistrates recommend to the municipality to “reinforce the control and the transparency on the delegation of public service” relating to Tourcoing-les-Bains. Like a third of the basins belonging to local authorities in France, that of Tourcoing has been granted to a company, in this case the company Espacéo, owned by the construction giant Spie Batignolles.
Almost two million euros of cumulative deficit
The Regional Chamber of Accounts first highlights the cumulative deficit of the swimming pool since its opening in 2008: 1.95 million euros. “Its accounting result was only balanced in 2019”, indicate the magistrates, who note a significant difference between the financial forecasts of the company and the turnover achieved. Spie Batignolles had counted on an attendance of 400,000 to 500,000 visitors per year. However, according to the financial jurisdiction, it is rather “around 300,000” swimmers who go each year to the only swimming pool in the city.
Increase prices to improve the profitability of the basins? The Espacéo company has been suggesting it for six consecutive years, but the town hall has always refused – including during the municipal council last October. “Even reassessed, the additional revenue generated would remain limited,” notes the Regional Chamber of Accounts, which estimates them at 160,000 euros. It must be said that with an entry ticket for Tourquennois at € 3.15 for children under 12 and € 4.10 over 13, Tourcoing-les-Bains is not really cheap.
Unjustified “head office costs”
For financial magistrates, the city of Tourcoing could especially save on another budget line, entitled “head office costs of the parent company”. In 2019, the city paid 440,000 euros to Espacéo for obscure “common services of society”, which go to Spie Batignolles. “The municipality is entitled to ask its delegate for details on their details and their calculation methods”, notes the Regional Chamber of Accounts.
Mediacités had already put its finger on the trick consisting for the delegated public service companies to invoice “head office costs” to the communities: in Greater Lyon, Veolia asked for 2.5 million euros per year for the management of the water – which will finally come back under the aegis of a public authority in 2023.
Last object of wrath of the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Hauts-de-France: the opacity of the subsidies allocated by the city to Espacéo. Indeed, even if the municipal council decides each year on the prices of the swimming pool, “the room notes that [l]“Subsidies are not mentioned anywhere in the appendices to the administrative accounts”, approved each year by elected officials from Tourquennois. An absence that questions the financial magistrates all the more since the subsidies represent 63% of the income of Espacéo for the exploitation of Tourcoing-les-Bains.
Pressed to react, the mayor of Tourcoing informed the Regional Chamber of Accounts of “her desire to improve the management of this concession”. Of which act: the city council which was held on Saturday 11 December approved the transfer of 100% of the shares held by Espacéo to the UCPA association, which operates around thirty swimming pools in France under public service delegation. Behind the windows of town hall, it’s a safe bet that the new basin manager will be closely watched.
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