Hazy future for Northern Beaches Council’s face-to-face customer service offices

Council offices where northern beaches’ ratepayers get advice on everything from house extensions to keeping chooks may go as more locals go online for info.

Northern Beaches Council’s customer service centres could be scaled back, or even closed, as more people turned to getting their information online during Covid lockdowns.

The council is reviewing the operation of the four centres where locals can seek advice, or complain — face-to-face — about issues such as house extensions and barking dogs.

It says there has been a shift, during the Covid pandemic, in how ratepayers contact the council and more are moving towards using the phone or online channels.

An image from the Northern Beaches Council's Customer Service pages on its website where it states that "We handle thousands of enquiries each month, but you won't be treated like a number." Picture: Northern Beaches Council

But one new councillor has questioned why any council services needed to be cut.

Greens councillor Miranda Korzy said there was still a need for the service centres to cater for the needs of older ratepayers especially.

There are customer service centres at the Dee Why Civic Centre, Manly Town Hall, the Mona Vale Library complex and in the Avalon Beach Recreation Centre.

Manly Town Hall. Picture: Manly Daily

In a notice to residents, advising that the Avalon centre was reopening after Covid, on restricted hours, the council stated that is was “continuing to review all customer contact centres to provide the most effective service to our residents”.

Back in September 2018 the council resolved to “monitor trends and collect data regarding Customer Service needs across all service centres” and report back “on recommendations”.

On Tuesday Council CEO Ray Brownlee said the pandemic had created a “complete shift” in how the council operated “on many levels”.

The Dee Why Civic Centre. Picture: Manly Daily

“Now that restrictions have been relaxed, we have been able to re-open all our Customer Service branches,” Mr Brownlee said.

“However, since the pandemic, there has been a shift in how customers interact with organisations, moving away from attending in person and preferring to use phone or online channels.

“We will continue to review the trends of how our customers use our service to ensure that we are providing customer service options that best fits our community needs.”

Cr Korzy said that residents were promised that with council amalgamations, savings would be made, not that services would be cut.

“We’ve all been forced to live our lives in isolation over the last two years, so it’s no surprise that fewer people have been visiting council customer service centres,” she said.

“It's likely to take a while for numbers to increase with many elderly people still restricting their movements due to Covid.

Greens councillor Miranda Korzy will advocate for the customer service centres to remain open, especially to cater for older ratepayers. Picture: Supplied.

“However, we have a generation of older people who prefer to pay their bills and ask for advice in person, and who find it more difficult to travel around than younger people.

“We must still cater for them.”

Cr Korzy said the she did not support closing any of the centres and called for another to open at French Forests.

“Residents groups have suggested that the Avalon one could also be used as a tourist information centre and are open to its hours being shorter, perhaps opening on Saturday too.”