France: Official Report Criticizes Record-High Staff Expenses in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

France's Regional Audit Chamber has issued firm supervisory observations to the administration of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in a report reviewing the financial standing of human resources between 2019 and 2025. It indicated that the region recorded a historic high in personnel expenses, which can no longer sustain further increases despite overall sound management.

A 29% Increase in Administrative Staff Expenses

The roughly 100-page report, presented on Friday, November 13, to regional elected officials during a session debating general budget orientations, explained that personnel burdens and costs surged by 29% between 2019 and 2025, with an estimated annual average increase of 4%. The region employs approximately 4,400 staff members with an average annual budget of €200 million.

The supervisory body noted that the assignment of new responsibilities to the region during this period contributed to this increase, in addition to the rise in the average cost of full-time equivalent positions. Costs for high school staff rose by 21%, compared to 15% for headquarters employees, alongside the creation of 80 new posts and the approval of salary increases.

The Most Expensive Region in France per Resident

The Regional Audit Chamber criticized the lack of operational expenditure rationalization efforts, leading the region to post the highest per-capita personnel costs in France for 2024 at €74.47 per resident, compared to a national average of €60.98. Cumulative data between 2019 and 2024 showed spending reached €397 per resident in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, compared to just €227 in the Île-de-France region (Paris and its suburbs).

Local Administration Justifications and Budgetary Pressures

For their part, Marie-Guite Dufay, former regional president, and her successor, current president Jérôme Durain, explained that the rural nature of the region and its low population density necessitate maintaining a minimum level of public services and organization regardless of population size. They also stressed that the transfer of state competencies and the refusal to outsource services added to the financial burden.

The region faces a complex financial challenge, particularly after losing €67 million in state grants and allocations this year, at a time when central transfers constitute around 90% of its budget. The Regional Audit Chamber called on local authorities to devise a strategy to stabilize expenditures and anticipate future staffing requirements to ensure financial balance in the upcoming 2026 budget.