Following a review into the viability of Council Customer Service Centres, Council has announced the closure of its Avalon branch by the end of November 2023.

Council currently operates four customer contact centres at Manly, Dee Why, Mona Vale and Avalon, which offer a full range of services five days a week. The move to close Avalon and operate from three branches will provide a more effective service to the residents of the Northern Beaches.

Council will seek expressions of interests for community use of the vacated space at Avalon.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said since the COVID-19 pandemic, customers have embraced alternate delivery methods across all levels of government, often choosing online services over face-to-face interactions.

“Following the collection of data over 16-months to examine visitation at all centres, we discovered that Avalon is not well-utilised by the community, with only 13 visits per day compared to other locations, which each had a minimum of 31 visits,” Mayor Heins said.

“The cost of operating the Avalon branch is also much higher than other locations. Council has a responsibility to the community to provide effective and efficient services that are value for money. The evolving digital landscape, driven by customer expectations, has led to an increased demand for services on digital platforms that can be accessed at the customers’ convenience.

“The provision of a five-day-per-week customer centre at Avalon on the evidence provided is unfortunately unsustainable and the needs of the wider community have changed.”

As Council continues to evolve its business systems, there is a strong emphasis on creating customer-centric processes and using technological advances to provide opportunities to enhance the customer experience.  Council will run an education campaign to provide the Avalon community with information on where and how they can access online and in-person alternatives. 

Currently, customers can undertake nearly all transactions with Council without needing to attend in person. Data and customer feedback have shown that in-person visits usually relate to the customer seeking advice or assistance rather than making a payment or transaction. 

At the December 2022 Council meeting, Council resolved to review the future of Avalon Service Centre after March 2023 and investigate ways to improve the centre. Council also made efforts to drive visitations to the branch with a targeted social media campaign and increased signage and service identification, yet customer visits remained low.

Once closed, residents and ratepayers can access most services online, via telephone on 1300 434 434 or in person at Mona Vale, Dee Why or Manly contact centres.