Political issues in Saint-Josse, Brussels

Saint-Josse: Fate or Political Mismanagement? BANKRUPTCY OR LIQUIDATION?

By Kadir Duran – Bruxelles Korner

A wealthy commune in revenue, but poor in management

The Brussels-Capital Region counts 19 communes, 11 of which are already under regional financial supervision — and Saint-Josse may soon become the twelfth. A surreal economic fracture in Brussels.

For thirteen years, Emir Kir has ruled Saint-Josse-ten-Noode with an iron grip. Three legislatures during which he shaped the commune, multiplied projects, expanded staff, and cultivated the image of a mayor close to his residents. Yet in 2025, the commune finds itself on the verge of falling under regional financial oversight. How can a leader in power for so long still invoke “fate”?

Social fatality: a convenient excuse

Saint-Josse is the poorest commune in Belgium. Poverty is higher than elsewhere, the CPAS (Public Social Welfare Center) is overwhelmed with requests for help, and allocations to both the CPAS and the local police have quadrupled over twenty years. All true. But none of this is new: these realities have been documented for more than a decade.

A mayor in office since 2012 cannot seriously pretend to be “discovering” these structural issues today.

Controversial political choices

Yet Saint-Josse also benefits from exceptional tax revenues:
• hotel and office taxes,
• parking revenues (meters, subscriptions, fines),
• one of the highest property tax rates in Brussels.

The money was there. The real problem lies in how it was used:
• a €15 million “House of Cultures,”
• entire teams mobilized to flower the commune for an international contest,
• a municipal workforce twice the regional average (1 employee per 33 residents, vs. 1 per 66 in Brussels).

These political choices, fully assumed by the ruling majority, now look like ticking financial time bombs.

A political strategy, not a budgetary one

For thirteen years, Emir Kir has claimed a generous social policy: free childcare, sports vouchers, cultural initiatives. Applauded measures, socially useful and electorally profitable. But behind this generosity lies an implicit logic: shift the bill onto the Region.

Yet Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI), Brussels Minister of Local Authorities, has changed the rules: any regional aid is now conditioned on a credible restructuring plan. The era of blank checks is over.

The responsibility of a long-standing mayor

After three terms, a mayor is no longer the heir of a situation — he is its architect.
• If the CPAS budget explodes, he knew it was coming.
• If the payroll is unsustainable, it is the result of overstaffing.
• If free school meals disappear, it is because “image projects” were prioritized.

Saint-Josse is not only a victim of social fatality: it is also trapped by risky political choices.

Political alliance and shared responsibilities

The alliance with the MR party to govern Saint-Josse did not succeed. Together, the ruling majority co-piloted a budgetary course where social spending — notably the CPAS allocation — exploded, without any credible strategy to absorb the expected shock of unemployment exclusions.

The implicit objective: preserve local power and the image of a “king mayor” — at the cost of runaway spending. Worse still, not a single member of the team publicly raised the alarm. For political interest, coalition loyalty, or electoral calculation, the majority remained silent in the face of an already well-documented drift.

Result: no long-term plan, no vision, and at worst, the conscious choice to sink collectively into a financial spiral.

A commune facing the moment of truth

Saint-Josse is about to join the 11 communes already under supervision in the Brussels Region (Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Etterbeek, Evere, Ganshoren, Jette, Molenbeek, Saint-Gilles, Schaerbeek, Watermael-Boitsfort, and Forest). This would mean strict financial control by a regional inspector, with mandatory validation of budgets and expenditures.

But nothing is automatic: the Region can refuse if the commune fails to present a credible return-to-balance program.

The coming social shock: 40,000 unemployment exclusions

The federal reform foresees the exclusion of 40,000 jobseekers, a measure that will hit Saint-Josse hard. Over 1,000 residents will lose their benefits and turn to the CPAS.

Each additional case = €10,000–12,000 per year. That means €10–12 million in new costs for a CPAS already under strain. Even with partial federal reimbursement, the commune will have to shoulder a significant part of the bill.

Consequence: a dangerous spiral → rising poverty, longer queues at the CPAS, higher allocations, deeper deficits, and reinforced oversight.

A limited and costly patrimony

Saint-Josse owns municipal assets (Town Hall, schools, House of Cultures, CPAS housing, retirement homes, parks). But these are limited, costly to maintain, and hard to monetize. Unlike Brussels-City, it lacks properties that generate significant rental income. Its real “assets” are fiscal: hotel/office taxes, property tax, parking meters.

Revenues and expenditures: the great mismatch

Main revenues
• Property tax: €8–12 million/year
• Parking meters & permits: €2–4 million/year
• Office & hotel taxes: €15–20 million/year (≈ 20% of budget)

Main expenditures
• Municipal staff: €30 million (35%)
• CPAS allocation: €25 million (30%)
• Police allocation: €10 million (12%)
• Projects & infrastructure: €7 million
• Public space maintenance: €8 million

Despite record revenues, social and structural expenses absorb everything, revealing chronic imbalance.

Key figures – Saint-Josse
• Population: 27,000 (densest commune in Belgium, 1 km²).
• Unemployment: among the highest in Brussels.
• Unemployment exclusions in 2025: over 1,000 residents.
• Municipal staff: 1 agent per 33 residents (vs. 1/66 in Brussels).
• Tax revenue per resident: among the highest in the country.
• CPAS allocation: x4 in 20 years.
(Source: municipal data, Brussels Region, Michel Henrion, X)

Conclusion: between fatality and responsibility

Saint-Josse is not only a victim of its population’s poverty. It is also the product of questionable political choices.
• Social fatality: a CPAS under pressure, mass unemployment, exploding costs.
• Political mismanagement: bloated staffing, vanity projects, dependency on regional aid.

If regional supervision is confirmed, it would not only be an administrative sanction: it would also be a political disavowal for Emir Kir and his team, who ignored the warnings.

The real question remains: how can a mayor who has governed for thirteen years still present himself as a victim of circumstances?

Source Link: Bruxelles Korner – Saint-Josse: Fatalité ou imprévoyance politique ?