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It is the last political milestone of the mandate. In a few days, Jean-René Lecerf will sign with the State, in the presence of the Prime Minister, a departmental revival agreement. The president of the Department of the North announced it during the last plenary session of the mandate Monday, May 17.
Exceptional situation, exceptional measures. As the pressure of the epidemic begins to decrease, the Departmental Council has unveiled new measures to revive the northern economy.
« The Department has no economic powers, explains the elected various right. But we can play a role in economic recovery as an order giver and in a counter-cyclical way. We must lead this effort now or it will be too late. ”
The objective of this post-Covid agreement is simple. This involves mobilizing public investment from the State and the Department to support businesses, particularly in the construction and public works sectors. Several levers have been retained, such as energy renovation, digital development, and prevention against poverty. This plan, voted unanimously by the departmental advisers, is supposed to repair the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This new plan is in addition to all the efforts already made. In 2020, in the North, 37,600 companies used partial activity and nearly 336,500 employees, or 38% of the workforce. In all, 70 million hours were compensated, by means of a State commitment representing 700 million euros. In addition, 50,694 companies made use of the solidarity fund and 17,913 loans guaranteed by the State were signed for an amount exceeding 4.4 billion euros. Figures that make you dizzy and that are commensurate with the economic shock.
The North Departmental Council is strongly committed to limiting the effects of the pandemic with a series of exceptional measures. The North paid bonuses to home help professionals, amounting to nearly 6.7 million euros. Without forgetting 1 million euros to social personnel of child protection and to 2,472 family assistants. Measures have been put in place which allow employees to accumulate the RSA for three months and the salary. Some 95,584 food aid baskets for families in great poverty were distributed for an amount of 1.9 million euros. Finally, the Department financially supports investment projects of municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants to the tune of 9 million euros so as to immediately put small construction companies to work, which have suffered greatly in recent months.
96 million euros invested in colleges in the North
But will this effort be enough? Obviously not, which forces the State and the Departmental Council to step up efforts. The North is committed to devoting 4.8 million euros in 2021 and 2022 for the renovation of private housing. Social housing is also concerned with an allocation of 15.3 million euros. For colleges, which the Departmental Council is responsible for, the North intends to invest 96 million euros by 2025, including 23 million by 2022. In parallel, the Jean Rostand colleges of
Sains-du-Nord, Solrezis in Solre-le-Château and Joliot-Curie and Léo Lagrange in Fourmies in Avesnois are the first to benefit from this innovative contract. Work will begin in 2021 and end in 2023, for an amount of 18 million euros. Five colleges in Cambrésis will also undergo a complete thermal renovation from 2022, for an estimated amount of 22.5 million euros. They are Paul Savary in Gouzeaucourt, Jacques Prévert in Masnières, François Villon in Walincourt-Selvigny, Jean Moulin in Iwuy and Paul Langevin in Avesnes-les-Aubert. The North will be one of the first Departments in France to sign this type of agreement with the State.
At the same time, the Department of the North signed an agreement with the French Building Federation (FFB) and the Regional Federation of Public Works (FRTP).
The Department of the North contributes to the activity of companies through its orders. In 2020, it financed public works operations to the tune of 100 million euros and operations on buildings to the tune of 120 million euros. The idea is also to facilitate cash management for small businesses, speed up administrative procedures and support the transition to sustainable development through the Sustainable North plan.
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