In Allaire near Redon, France Services brings public services closer together and reduces the digital divide

Au feeling of abandonment of populations far from metropolisesthere is an answer. Her name is France Services. The network now has more than 2,800 reception points in France, including 130 in Brittany. There, advisors support citizens free of charge in their administrative procedures. The Court of Auditors, although recognized for pinpointing, evokes in a recent reporta “success story”. Five years after the launch of the program in response to the “yellow vest” crisis, user satisfaction exceeds 90%.

In Allaire near Redon, in the brand new premises adjoining the Town Hall, three councilors are struggling to find a solution. “People who come to France Services must leave with an answer”supports Sarah, who is also a digital advisor. Because if France Services responds to the distance from public services, the program also responds to the famous “digital divide” that many users who come here feel.

Patrick, who had his papers stolen, regrets that most procedures are now dematerialized. “We don’t understand everything. Since it’s on the computer, it’s worse than on paper”. Mayor Jean-François Marie understood this speech well and therefore worked to launch France Services in Allaire in 2021. “Proximity, nothing like it to respond to residents”argues the mayor whose municipality contributes almost a third of the €600,000 investment and 20% of the operating budget.

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Income declaration, pre-application for an identity card or passport, creation of an Ameli account, certificate of CPAM rights, retirement request, change of registration document address, etc., France Service agents work in a multitude of areas. “The little everyday things that we will have knowledge about”explains Benjamin, advisor to Allaire. “If it goes beyond our skills, we contact the partners. We have a platform on which we can contact them”. “We are trained for first level support”adds Sarah, “things that aren’t too complicated. We’re sort of generalists”.

The consultations seem effective, since in two years, attendance at France Services in Allaire increased by almost 50%at an average of 20 people per day. 5,000 over the year. In France, nearly nine million procedures were carried out in 2023, 9 times more than in 2020.