PRESS RELEASE

4 September 2024

Public thematic report

FRANCE SERVICES PROGRAMME

Initiated by the Prime Minister's circular of 1 July 2019, the France services programme was

presented as a response to the feeling of marginalisation and remoteness from public

services experienced by part of the population. Spearheaded by the National Agency for

Territorial Cohesion (ANCT), it is based on a network of local operators (local authorities, La

Poste, associations, etc.) and now involves eleven national operators to help users complete

their administrative procedures online. In 2021, 67 % of adults living in France carried out at

least one administrative procedure online in the previous 12 months, but the requirements

for using new technologies and administrative terminology, and the impersonal nature of

the service, prevent some people from accessing it. The Court therefore examined the

nature and quality of the services on offer to determine whether they meet user needs. The

survey focused primarily on user satisfaction and looked at the financial and human capacity

of this system to maintain a sustainable operation. The assessment revealed a quantitative

and qualitative gain and confirmed that a majority of users are satisfied with the support

provided by France services advisors. However, the scheme can only be consolidated and

sustained if a viable medium-term development scenario is rapidly agreed. This should

make it possible to increase operator mobilisation, provide better financial support for the

operators of highly frequented sites and place greater value on the role of advisors.

Successful deployment of a local network to promote regional cohesion

Five years after its roll-out, the France services network now comprises more than 2,840

centres in France (including satellite locations). Almost 100% of centres are less than 30

minutes’ travel time for users. The number of requests handled by France ser

vices centres has

risen steadily since the network was set up, from 1.17 million in 2020 to almost 9 million by the

end of 2023. On average, 14 % of in-person reception and support for core public services is

provided by the France Services network. 58% of users are over 55, and the majority of them

are women (56 %). Young people are poorly represented (6 % of users are under 26).

Furthermore, almost 82 % of requests are processed on site. User satisfaction at France

services centres exceeds 90 %. This reflec

ts both the network’s ability to meet users’ formal

requirements and its ability to listen to them and support them through a direct, personalised

relationship. As a result of this unique relationship, the France services network is undeniably

helping to reduce territorial divides. The results of the programme surpass the previous

experience of the

maisons de services au public

(MSAP - public services centres), which until

then had been the most successful system of pooled, multi-purpose local services. Rigorous

certification of the France services network has enabled the emergence of a comprehensive

range of services and a uniform quality of care across the country.

Conditions for long-term success not yet fully in place

The programme must clarify its strategic objectives and become more meaningful Between

maintaining the status quo and a major transformation of the system into a ‘single gateway’ for

all public services, there is scope for an intermediate scenario, which would enable the

expansion of reception capacity and the enhancement of the range of services on offer. The

departmental plans for improving access to services for the public can serve as a useful

framework for the local structuring of local services, including the France services network. The

latter would also benefit from a better knowledge of the population in each area, as well as

from monitoring changes in the availability of public services. France services advisors are

efficient in providing one-to-one support to users who are not digitally literate. However, they

cannot make people more skilled/autonomous in their use of digital tools without the support

of other digital inclusion players in the departments. The long-term success of the programme

also depends on its governance, which must provide more effective coordination of the various

stakeholders. At national level, the ANCT must coordinate its actions more effectively with the

ministries and operators, in particular by promoting greater synergy between the operator

networks and France services. At the local level, the partnership requires better coordination

between the centres and the operators responsible for delivering the shared services across

the entire network. Depending on the territories and operators, the relationships between the

France Services advisors, who int

eract directly with users (the ‘front office’), and the operator

services, who are experts in their procedures (the ‘back office’), still require clarification.

Funding to ensure the long-term future of the system and a fair distribution of costs

The Co

urt estimates the total cost of the programme at around €350 million for 2024 (including

approximately €113 million from the State’s general budget). In 2023, funding for the

programme by the State and its operators increased, with an annual fixed amount raised from

€30,000 to €35,000 for non

-postal structures

. The aim of the programme’s funding trajectory

is to reach €50

000 per structure by 2026. Despite this trajectory, the financial burden

continues to fall more heavily on local providers (cities, associations, etc.) than on the State and

its operators. Moreover, national funding does not take into account the saturation of certain

areas. An additional flat-rate subsidy would appear to be necessary to cover the cost of the

programme in areas where visitor numbers are higher than their reception capacity. Similarly,

while the methods of distributing funding between the historical operators have been revised

to better reflect the services used, the participation of new operators joining the programme

in 2024 will need to be clarified.

Read the report

PRESS CONTACTS

Julie Poissier

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Communications Director

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T +33 (0)6 87 36 52 21

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julie.poissier@ccomptes.fr

Sarah Gay

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Press Relations Officer

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T +33 (0)6 50 86 91 83

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sarah.gay@ccomptes.fr