FY2014 Town Council Management Report

The Ministry of National Development released the FY2014 Town Council Management Report (TCMR) today. The period of assessment covers April 2014 to March 2015, prior to changes to Town Councils (TCs) following General Election 2015. TCs were assessed under five indicators, using three colour bands. Assessment was based on measurable objective criteria, submitted by the TCs and their auditors.

Most TCs have performed well in all areas, though some TCs could do better in the areas of Estate Maintenance, Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) Arrears Management and Corporate Governance.

Results of the FY2014 TCMR

The results of the FY2014 TCMR, covering the period April 2014 to March 2015, are summarised below. More details can be found at Annex A and B.

Estate Maintenance

Estate maintenance remains an area for improvement. 10 TCs scored “Amber” under this category.

The obstruction of common areas remains the top area for improvement, accounting for 36% of total maintenance observations in FY2014 (see Annex C for top five types of estate maintenance observations). Such obstructions are potential fire hazards and can hamper evacuation efforts during emergencies. TCs should address this issue jointly with their residents. Residents should also play their part not to clutter up the common passageway. By working together as a community, TCs and residents can improve the living environment in HDB estates, while ensuring that the residents’ fire safety is not compromised.

AHPETC’s “Red” Banding in S&CC Arrears Management and Corporate Governance

Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) continues to be banded “Red” for both indicators. This is the fourth successive TCMR that the TC has been banded “Red” for S&CC Arrears Management, and the third successive TCMR that the TC has been banded “Red” for Corporate Governance.

Under S&CC Arrears Management, AHPETC is banded “Red” after failing to submit its monthly S&CC arrears report for the assessment period even though it was reminded to do so and extensions of deadline were granted. To date, most of AHPETC’s S&CC arrears reports since May 2013 are outstanding.

Under Corporate Governance, AHPETC is banded “Red” due to three legal and regulatory contraventions by the TC as indicated by its own auditor’s findings and the TC’s self-declared corporate governance checklist. In the FY2013 TCMR last year, AHPETC was banded “Red” as the TC had not shown that it had rectified the various legal and regulatory contraventions reported by its independent auditors for FY2011 and FY2012, and had not submitted its FY2013 audited financial statements, auditor’s report, auditor’s management letter and self-declared corporate governance checklist.

AHPETC had subsequently made the required submissions for FY2013 on 30 Jun 2015, which showed four regulatory contraventions. AHPETC would still have been banded “Red” in the FY2013 TCMR if the TC had submitted the required documents on time and therefore no revision of this rating is needed. Please refer to Annex D for details of AHPETC’s contraventions in FY2013 and FY2014.

Other Observations

Chua Chu Kang TC (CCKTC) and Potong Pasir TC (PPTC) are banded “Amber” for S&CC Arrears Management. CCKTC had an increase in the proportion of S&CC overdue for 3 months or more, and PPTC has the same rating as last year.

Bishan-Toa Payoh TC (BTPTC) is banded “Amber” for Corporate Governance on a technicality. The TC had incorrectly classified its residential rooftop antenna Temporary Occupation License (TOL) income under the TC’s commercial property fund for FY2014, due to a data migration error when it moved to a new computer system. BTPTC has since made the necessary rectifications.

Enquiries and Feedback

Members of the public can learn more about the TCMR at the TownCouncils.sg website at http://www.towncouncils.sg.

Residents can also provide their feedback to tcmr_feedback@mailbox.hdb.gov.sg or directly to their TC.