In Roubaix, the poorest city in France, where almost half the population lives below the poverty line (€1,288 per month), left-wing Mayor David Guiraud of La France Insoumise(LFI) held his first council meeting.
During a “heated discussion”, his majority approved an increase in elected officials’ pay. His own salary is now €4,875 per month, around €500 more than his right-wing predecessor. One of his “special advisers” even received a 138 per cent raise.
Overall, the budget was increased by 18 per cent. The opposition, though, saw its allowance cut in half. This drew criticism, with opponents denouncing a “special regime” and “partisan management of public funds” by the new majority.
The far-left mayor defended himself on X, arguing his pay is still below what is typical for a city of this size.
Hier, en Conseil Municipal, j’ai fait adopter une délibération baissant de 1150€ l’indemnité allouée au Maire. Sans délibération, j’aurai automatiquement profité du plafond maximal, portant mon indemnité de Maire à 5960,25 euros.
J’ai donc fait le choix de baisser, avec cette…
— David Guiraud (@GuiraudInd) April 9, 2026
As for Paris and its huge debt of around €9.7 billion in 2026, Emmanuel Grégoire, the newly elected Socialist Party (PS) Mayor, has pledged to adopt a “different financial strategy” but he will still keep the same salary of around €7,782 per month. That had already been raised by 25 per cent under the previous administration..
Nice, on the other hand, is setting an example.
Right-wing Mayor Éric Ciotti of the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), announced yesterday at his council meeting a 30 per cent cut in all elected officials’ salaries in the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur.
With a €2.5 billion debt, Ciotti hopes to save at least €700,000 annually. He also promised reductions in property taxes and waste management costs and advocates for “less taxes, fewer rules, and more freedom”.
