The States of Jersey will soon be providing most of its frontline customer services in one place.
The new Customer and Local Services department, which will be based at the former Social Security building in La Motte Street, will provide ‘one front door’ for the majority of face-to-face customer queries. It will, over time, provide a streamlined service for everything from applying for income support to planning and passport applications, and getting help with tax matters.
At the moment, islanders have to deal with teams in various departments in a number of locations, either face-to-face, by post, by phone or online, and they often have to provide the same information many times.
Islanders currently make almost 200,000 visits a year (3,800 a week) to government offices, and the new ‘one front door’ will bring frontline teams together, so that islanders will no longer have to visit different offices when they deal with the government.
It is being established as part of the One Government vision of a modern public service, with customers at the heart of the new structure. An island-wide survey of 1,000 islanders conducted in February 2018 on behalf of the States of Jersey, by the UK polling company, ComRes, found:
· 84% of islanders want to be able to apply for government services in one place, instead of having to contact each department separately
· 76% of islanders think the government should provide more of its services online
Director General for Customer and Local Services, Ian Burns, said: “We’ve listened to islanders, who’ve said they want more joined-up services and to be able to access them in one place, so that’s what we’re working towards.
“By bringing more front desk services together in one place, we’ll make it easier and more convenient for the islanders we serve. We’ll also put more services online, because most islanders want to serve themselves digitally whenever and wherever they like. We’ll continue to support customers who need extra help.”
Assistant Chief Minister, Connétable Richard Buchanan, said: “This move supports our aim to become a customer-focused organisation, working as one team to deliver quality, modern public services that provide value for money. Providing ‘one front door’ will help to integrate the delivery of our services, reduce duplication, promote collaboration and increase productivity.”
Services will begin to move from Cyril Le Marquand House, South Hill and Maritime House to La Motte Street in October, and over a period of weeks the range of services available through the new front door to government will grow. As the services move, the customer desks in their former offices will close.
Timeline for ‘one front door’
- Monday 24 September - A new layout for La Motte Street will be completed and welcome hosts will be introduced
- Monday 8 October - A new queue management system will be introduced for customers
- Monday 22 October - Taxes helpdesk and Treasury Cashiers move from Cyril Le Marquand House
- Monday 29 October - Customs and Passports move from Maritime House
- Monday 5 November - Planning and Building Control moves from South Hill
The States is providing an update of which services are moving at gov.je/onefrontdoor and will be running an information campaign to inform islanders about the moves.
The following services will be moving to La Motte Street:
- Taxes - General enquiries about tax
- Treasury Cashiers - Licences (liquor and ice cream), Lottery winnings, Invoice payment – including tax
- Passports - New passport applications, Legalisation of documents
- Customs - Freight clearance, General enquiries about customs duties and GST/VED, Classification of goods
- Planning and Building (Householders/general public) - Planning and building general enquiries, Planning and building application drop-off, Historic files access and viewing, Location plans
States of Jersey Press Release