Local Public Services: Why the Igas Is Calling for a Rethink of In-Person Assistance

Can everything really be handled online when it comes to claiming your social rights? That's the question raised by a report from the Inspection générale des affaires sociales (Igas, France's general inspectorate of social affairs), published on September 17, 2026, which calls for rethinking in-person assistance in public services just as the France Services network continues expanding into rural areas.

A report that questions “the end of the counter”

Titled “Access to Social Rights: The End of the Counter?”, this report—signed by inspectors Fadéla Amara, Bérénice Delpal, and Valérie Saintoyant—draws on ten years of observing the transformation of social service delivery in France: social security funds, local governments, and France Services centers. Its central finding: the user experience cannot be reduced to simple assistance with digital tools. The real issue remains effective access to rights, including for those furthest removed from digital technology.

Rethinking the “first centimeter” of public action

The authors' chosen phrase is telling: the goal is to rethink the first centimeter of public action—in other words, all the very concrete details that shape the relationship between a citizen and the administration, such as how appointments are scheduled, opening hours, and the usability of digital interfaces. The report puts forward operational proposals along three lines: the evolution of the France Services program, upcoming social security performance agreements, and the day-to-day organization of front-desk service.

France Services: a growing network, but under strain

This report arrives as the France Services network continues to grow: the program now counts more than 2,750 certified locations, including more than 150 mobile buses crisscrossing rural areas to reach the most isolated towns, as detailed in our article on the changing role of France Services digital advisors. The government's target remains 3,000 certified locations by 2027, with the operating subsidy raised to €50,000 per location along a spending curve set to climb through that same deadline. But at the current budget level, only 2,860 locations could be reached by the end of 2026—a pace considered insufficient against the target, which would require creating at least 100 new locations per year, compared with just 60 planned in the 2026 budget.

Why this finding matters for citizens

For someone dealing with a claim to the CAF (France's family benefits agency), the CPAM (its local health insurance fund), or France Travail (the national employment agency), this debate is anything but theoretical. Poorly calibrated social services—overly limited hours, hard-to-get appointments, a confusing digital interface—translate directly into unclaimed benefits: assistance a person is entitled to but fails to obtain for lack of proper support. This is the same issue that has driven the rollout, elsewhere across the country, of solutions such as hybrid community hubs or the reopening of service counters in small rural train stations—two different answers to the same challenge: maintaining a local human presence despite the growing shift of administrative procedures online.

Key takeaways

• The Igas report was published on September 17, 2026, and covers ten years of change in social service delivery.
• It calls for not reducing access to rights to mere digital assistance.
• The France Services network is targeting 3,000 certified locations by 2027, up from about 2,750 today.
• The current budget trajectory (60 new locations planned in 2026) still falls short of the pace needed to meet that target.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Igas report mean by the “first centimeter” of public action?

It refers to all the concrete details of the relationship between a citizen and the administration—opening hours, how appointments are scheduled, and the usability of digital interfaces—that determine in practice whether a right is actually accessible.

How many France Services locations exist in France today?

The network includes more than 2,750 certified locations, including more than 150 mobile buses serving isolated rural towns, as part of a national target of 3,000 locations by 2027.

Does the Igas report challenge the digitization of administrative procedures?

No, it does not challenge digital technology itself, but it stresses that digital assistance alone is not enough to guarantee effective access to rights for all citizens.

Sources

• Igas — Access to Social Rights: The End of the Counter?
• La Gazette des Communes — The Igas calls for reinvesting in social services
• ANCT — Figures and rollout of the France Services network

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy