Annual Grants for Town Councils

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for National Development (a) over the last three years, what is the annual amount of Government grants given to Town Councils; and (b) what are the implications of the results of the 4th Town Council Management Report (TCMR).

Town Councils fund their operations mainly through their collection of Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC). Over the last three years, MND disbursed around $110 million in grants each year to Town Councils.

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This has helped Town Councils to offset some of their operating costs, and to mitigate the impact of past GST increases.

The Town Council Management Report (TCMR) is to provide residents with objective information about the key areas of estate management. It helps to facilitate discussions between residents and their Town Councils on how to improve the upkeep of their estates.

The 4th TCMR showed that most Town Councils performed well in estate cleanliness, lift performance, S&CC arrears management and corporate governance. However, under estate maintenance, seven out of 15 Town Councils were rated "amber".

Hence, estate maintenance is an area for improvement that Town Councils should focus on. In particular, the obstruction of common areas was the most common observation, accounting for 36% of the total observations made. This is serious as obstructions of the common areas caused by cluttering or placing bulky items along the corridors are potential fire hazards, and may hamper evacuations during emergencies.

A safe and pleasant living environment in our housing estates can only be achieved through the joint efforts of both residents and the Town Councils. It is in this spirit that Town Councils and residents should approach the TCMR results, and work hand in hand to address the issues brought up and shape the way forward for their town.