Overview
- Lyon’s municipal council, which approved the change Thursday, lifted the mayor’s representation allowance from €3,000 to €15,000 a year.
- The allowance covers public relations and protocol costs such as gifts, meals and receptions capped at €40 per person, event clothing and care, and local travel like taxis, parking, and fuel as defined by national law.
- Opposition leader Jean-Michel Aulas called the rise “outrageous and indecent,” sought annual disclosure of spending, and saw his group’s bid to cap the envelope at €3,500 rejected.
- First deputy Audrey Hénocque said the figure is a ceiling that may go unused and argued prior funding was too tight, while city officials noted train and plane fares will now come under this single pot; press reports show the mayor spent €4,081 of an €18,000 multi‑year envelope in his first term.
- The decision runs counter to cuts in other big cities, with Paris halving its mayoral envelope and Nice scrapping it, while separate increases to elected officials’ pay follow a December 2025 national law that raises standard indemnities.