Administration - Ombudsman calls for authorities to be closer to citizens
According to the Ombudsman Matthias Crone, in addition to often long processing times for applications, poor access to authorities in particular is increasingly causing dissatisfaction among people in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Over the past year, the Ombudsman's office has received numerous complaints about restricted opening hours and limited appointments. "In the district of Rostock, at times all the appointments offered for the driving license office were taken just a few minutes after the registration portal opened," reported Crone.
The restrictions on visitor traffic during the coronavirus pandemic were correct and understandable in order to prevent infection. However, it has long been possible and usually advisable to return to the usual opening hours. "We cannot accept this kind of long Covid from the authorities. Older people in particular, who rarely or never use the internet, want and need personal contact with government employees," emphasized Crone. Working from home is only possible to a limited extent in institutions that are open to the public. In addition, contrary to legal requirements, many government services are still not available online.
Crone was convinced that administrations are facing serious changes. "As in other areas, the biggest challenge for public administration will be to find the necessary specialist staff. The demographic change cannot be overlooked. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, around 28,000 people will be 66 in 2024, which means they will be reaching retirement age. But only 12,500 will be celebrating their 18th birthday. That's all you need to know to realize that work will have to be organized differently in the future," said Crone. There are already vacancies in local authorities and state agencies and the competition for skilled workers within the administration and with the private sector is set to increase.
Like the President of the State Court of Audit, Martina Johannsen, Crone is also calling for a consistent review of tasks in order to find out what can be eliminated. This applies to all levels - federal, state and local. Crone cited the increasingly detailed documentation requirements and statistical reports as examples.
Legislation should also pay more attention to ensuring that new tasks are not created, but rather that old ones are reduced or automated. "Even if we can pay them well, we will simply run out of people," predicted Crone, who will vacate his seat at the end of February after two terms in office. He was first elected as the country's Ombudsman in 2012. It has not yet been decided who will succeed him.
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- Despite the necessary measures to prevent Coronavirus spread, Crone argues that the administration should return to their usual, more accessible and frequent opening hours.
- The Ombudsman highlights the specific issue of older citizens in the County of Rostock, who struggle with limited internet use and rely on face-to-face interaction with government employees.
- The worsening proximity to citizens is a significant concern for Crone, as the Administration faces staffing challenges due to the approaching retirement age of many employees in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
- As the Ombudsman's term comes to an end, Crone warns of the potential consequences of not addressing these challenges, including potentially running out of qualified staff due to the demographic change in the region.
- In a bid to face these challenges, Crone and other officials are advocating for task review, task elimination, and the automation of administrative tasks to reduce the workload and alleviate the impact of the Long Covid effect on public services.
Source: www.stern.de
