Like dozens of other municipalities in 2024, Saint-Denis and Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, two towns in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, in the north of Paris, are uniting. This marriage is atypical, because in general, the merger concerns much more small towns. Since January 1, the new commune of Saint-Denis has been born, with the socialist mayor Mathieu Hanotin at its head and Michel Fourcade as first deputy. With just under 150,000 inhabitants, it is the second largest city in Île-de-France after Paris.
For residents of both cities Frenchit is still too early to have an opinion on this merger between Saint-Denis and Pierrefitte-sur-Seine. This idea of uniting germinated two years ago in the head of the mayor of Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Michel Fourcade. Lower property taxes, free school canteen, the new community will receive an allocation reserved for merged municipalities, i.e. more than 6 million euros.
“ Pierrefitte is the first immediate beneficiary »according to Michel Fourcade, and he adds: “ It is the entire new municipality which will be a winner in the months and years to come since the objective, indeed, by being 150,000 inhabitants, is to have more influence at the level of the region, at the level of the department , at the metropolitan level and in front of the State to be able to develop activities. »
For Slimane Tirera, a figure in the political and associative world, this merger is a win/win. “ Being the second largest city in Île-de-France after Parisit’s incredible. And it’s in Seine-Saint-Denis that it’s happening and I find that it’s both political and symbolic. »
A merger which is also strategic: “ Have more subsidies, more resources for entrepreneurs, more culture, more sport, more security. And there, say that the inhabitants of Saint-Denis and Pierrefitte will be able to have the same means as towns of more than 150 000 inhabitants, enthuses Slimane Tirera. It is something important for the inhabitants to change their outlook on this territory, and to have great recognition for these inhabitants who have long been stigmatized in the media, in social networks and by politicians. . »
A merger that is not unanimous
For opponents, this project is above all a political maneuver. “ In fact, none of the measures announced depend solely on the merger. Everything was achievable without a merger,” asserts Romain Potel from the Stop fusion collective. “ The only interest was politician, he maintains. You have a mayor, that of Pierrefitte, who in any case has reached the end of his third mandate, which was one mandate too many and who had no serious successor within his majority. On the other hand, you have in Saint-Denis [Mathieu] Hanotin who is in difficulty for his re-election. So, it’s purely a political calculation. We must be very clear, there is no interest for the two cities. »
For the moment, the Dyonisiens and the Pierrefittois are not changing their address or name and they are the ones who will have the last word during the next municipal elections in March 2026.
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