District houses make way for four regional counters, six city counters and 32 self-service kiosks (Antwerp)
Residents can now pass their passports, driving licenses and identity cards in one of the nine district houses and the city counter on the Left Bank. Alderman Ait Daoud now wants to reorganize this with her ‘customized counter’ plan. it plays a role in the further digitization of urban services.
“Customers actually prefer not to come to a counter at all,” says Ait Daoud. “If it has to be done, then they prefer to do this at a time and place that suits him or her.”
For example, the district houses of Antwerp, Deurne, Merksem and Wilrijk will become regional counters. They will be open six days a week and with two evening openings, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. On Saturday it is only the morning. Berendrecht, Zandvliet and Lillo, Ekeren, Borgerhout, Hoboken, Linkeroever and Berchem will have a city counter. This counter is open two days a week and has one evening opening.
In addition, there will be 32 self-service kiosks where people can digitally make an application for an identity card and print government documents. It is up to the districts to determine where they will go, but this can be done in a social center library. There will also be an A-app that provides digital access to urban services via smartphone. In addition, there are pop-up counters, as is now being organized for Ukrainian refugees in the urban administrative center Den Bell and the registration of a birth in the hospital.
“The entire reorganization is aimed at not only increasing efficiency, but also bringing services to the citizen,” says Ait Daoud. “It is certainly not a reduction of our service to Antwerp residents. Not only are we open longer hours, but there are also more counters where we can help residents.”
Criticism
Green municipal councilor Niel Staes sees this slightly differently. All city counters together received about 445,000 visitors in 2019, so before corona.
“Borgerhout, one of the counters that will be retiring to minimum services from 1 December, received around 53,500 visitors in 2019,” says Staes. “In the new system, the counters in this district will be open on average nine days a month, now there are eighteen. This includes that about 26,000 visitors are obliged to go to Deurne or to the regional counter in Park Harmonie. In Borgerhout we notice that since the move from the Antwerp city counter to Harmonie, residents of Antwerp-North and Zurenborg are even more focused on the Borgerhout city counter. Logical, because that is the logical counter for more than 60,000 Antwerp residents.”
According to Ait Daoud, it is outdated that people only now use the district house of their residence.
“People who live in Wilrijk sometimes go to the Antwerp district office because they work nearby,” the aldermen said. “Residents should be helped as quickly as possible and then see where this is possible.”
Vulnerable residents
Staes fears in particular that the most vulnerable vulnerable will fall victim to this new organisation.
“The services in Antwerp are being brutally cut down,” says the municipal councilor. “The most vulnerable residents are hit the hardest. People without a computer can go to a self-service kiosk, but no staff is provided to help them. everyone’s actual activities. The next step will be the phasing out of the six city counters.”