In Lyon, the town hall subsidizes a private theater: "I cannot finance businesses," the mayor assured.
While it has been maintaining for several months that it cannot legally help private businesses, particularly those in difficulty, the City of Lyon has just awarded a €50,000 subsidy to a private theater.
It's a resolution that surprisingly didn't elicit a reaction from the opposition, and which could make Lyon's business owners fall off their chairs. The City of Lyon voted this Thursday on a resolution approving the payment of " exceptional aid " of €50,000 to the Odéon Comedy Theater, a private theater. More precisely, a simplified joint-stock company, which welcomes 60,000 to 70,000 people per year and generates a turnover of approximately €1.5 million.
A surprising decision, given that the Green mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, has been repeatedly pointing out for several months that the community he leads has no authority to provide assistance to businesses. "Legally, as mayor, I cannot finance businesses ," the mayor explained in an interview with 20 Minutes, when asked about the possibility of compensating shopkeepers affected by the work.
At the end of March, in the House of Commons, Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert , for example, proposed creating a support fund for businesses, funded by revenue generated by the expansion of paid parking and fines. Here again, the majority party recalled that only the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has the authority to directly pay money to businesses.
The City of Lyon thus indicates in its deliberation that " the theater is thus in a very critical situation and would be in danger without its new entrepreneurial project which allows the contribution of new economic partners ." As a reminder, the theater directed by Julien Poncet recently joined forces with the Rosebud press group (owner of Tribune de Lyon and Lyon Décideurs in particular). It will thus offer events focused on information.
The executive has finally found a way to provide funding to this private company, " to support cultural diversity, so that this private city-center theater can continue its activities ." The town hall has therefore approached the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the sole authority responsible for business aid, for its prior approval for the payment of economic aid. The latter can, in fact, delegate the granting of aid to municipalities.
In May, opposition city councilor Béatrice de Montille took advantage of a deliberation on a similar agreement aimed at supporting social and solidarity economy stakeholders. " Since you are ready to enter into contracts with the Region to support ESS structures, why not also request direct economic aid for our merchants, who are currently in great difficulty ," she said. During the riots that affected many merchants on the Presqu'île, the City released funds that it had granted to professional organizations, allowing it to remain within its jurisdiction.
Fundamentally, granting aid to a unique theater that brings cultural offerings to life in the Presqu'île is a political choice that can be justified under the French cultural exception. Nevertheless, Mayor Grégory Doucet will now have to assume his political choice (respectable by nature) of not compensating the traders affected by the works, without being able to hide behind a legal argument.
Lyon Capitale
