Ixelles: good transparency, minutes partially online

A cosmopolitan municipality in the heart of Brussels

Ixelles is the fourth most populated municipality in the Brussels Region with nearly 90,000 inhabitants. A major student and nightlife district, it hosts the ULB and a vibrant cultural scene. Since the 2024 elections, a mirror coalition of PS-MR-Engagés governs the municipality.

Transparency: 4 out of 6 criteria

Ixelles meets four of the six BGM monitoring criteria. The budget is published online, the council is broadcast via livestream on YouTube, the mandate registry is available, and the municipality runs a participatory budget of EUR 170,000. Council minutes are classified as "partial" (agendas published, but no dedicated full minutes section). No dedicated Open Data portal.

Citizen participation: participatory budget

Ixelles organises an annual participatory budget of EUR 170,000 allowing citizens to submit and vote on projects. Submission runs from October to December, voting from February to March.

Recent developments

Ixelles' CPAS inaugurated the Résidence Prince Royal, a new care home with 96 rooms for the elderly. Additionally, mobility promises made during the election campaign remain unfulfilled.

2026 budget: balance maintained, three new taxes (21 May 2026)

The municipal council adopted the 2026 budget on 21 May 2026: ordinary revenue of around EUR 253 million, ordinary expenditure of around EUR 258 million, with balance achieved through a drawdown of around EUR 5.5 million from municipal reserves. No increase in personal income tax or property tax was decided. Municipal debt rose from EUR 119 million in 2018 to EUR 210 million in 2025.

The same council adopted three new taxes: on fast-food outlets with order kiosks (EUR 10,000 at opening, then EUR 12,000/year), on free-floating shared mobility devices (EUR 1,000 + EUR 20/vehicle + EUR 30 per 1,000 trips), and on vacant commercial units in shopping galleries (up to EUR 381.36/m², progressive).

Council composition: Caroline Désir departs (2 July 2026)

Councillor Caroline Désir (PS), group leader and elected official for nearly 20 years, left the Ixelles municipal council at her final session on 2 July 2026, following a move to Forest. She will be replaced in September 2026 by Gerard Rinse Oosterwijk (Vooruit).

Far-right protest at Place du Luxembourg: ban overturned in extremis (15 July 2026)

On 15 July 2026, Mayor Romain De Reusme had banned a far-right protest ("Save Europe Act", around 100 identitarian participants expected) planned for Place du Luxembourg. The Council of State overturned the ban that same day, late morning, allowing the protest to proceed.

Mobility: Pont Fraiteur blockage confirmed (24 June 2026)

The municipal majority has, since taking office, called for reopening Pont Fraiteur to two-way traffic. On 24 June 2026, regional Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) reiterated her refusal, citing bus line 71's traffic flow and cyclist safety, while noting "constructive" talks without agreement so far. The municipality's electoral promise thus remains unfulfilled.

Sources: DH, L'Avenir (21 May 2026, budget); La Libre, L'Avenir, DH (2 July 2026, Désir departure); La Libre, BX1, DH (15 July 2026, protest); DH, 21News (24 June 2026, Pont Fraiteur).

Garden promised on rue Waaienberg abandoned for a refuse truck depot (21 July 2026)

A green inner garden project, presented by the commune in 2011, is being abandoned. The original plan provided for demolishing an old building on rue Waaienberg and turning the freed courtyard into a quiet, green garden, at the corner of rue Vandenbroeck.

What is planned instead: expansion of the manoeuvring yard for refuse trucks.

The mayor cites budget constraints and changed neighbourhood needs to justify dropping the garden.

Procedure under way and immediate deadline. A planning and environmental permit application has been submitted for the expansion. The public inquiry runs until 31 July 2026.

Residents are announcing formal objections and considering launching a petition. They report decades of noise, odour and pest problems linked to heavy vehicles operating from early morning until 10pm, and argue that this type of installation "does not belong in a residential area, but on an industrial site".

Source: BRUZZ Stedenbouw (21 July 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (permit application and public inquiry documented by the press; no dated communal council deliberation identified at this stage).