The Nos services publics collective releases its third annual report, highlighting social inequalities in access to public administrations beyond geographic divides. Titled 'A public service, for all, really?', this 294-page document analyzes six key sectors. It notes that physical distance compounds factors like age, precariousness, and education level.
The third report from the Nos services publics collective, published on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, challenges the purely geographic view of inequalities in access to public services. The study argues that a binary territorial lens, pitting rural against urban areas, obscures the multiple social discriminations faced by users. 'If physical distance can be a major obstacle, it compounds with the social question,' the report states.
This in-depth document examines the operations of six main sectors: administrative counters, health, education, higher education, housing, and water. The authors, led by left-leaning senior civil servants, draw on state statistics, audit reports, and daily observations in four territories: Joigny (Yonne), Saint-Paul (La Réunion), Meylan (Isère), and Villeurbanne (Métropole de Lyon).
The report uncovers exclusion dynamics tied to users' age, precariousness, education level, and geographic isolation. It finds that the presence of public counters has declined over the past forty years, benefiting metropolises at the expense of rural France and fueling a sense of abandonment. However, equal access also hinges on allocated resources, agent recruitment, and human interaction.
By highlighting these intersections between territorial and social factors, the collective advocates for a more inclusive approach to public services to ensure equitable access for all.