FY2015 Town Council Management Report
The findings signal uneven estate-management performance and may influence residents’ perceptions of safety, upkeep and living quality across affected HDB estates.
Eleven Town Councils received an “Amber” estate-maintenance rating for April to September 2015, with common-area obstructions comprising 36% of maintenance observations.
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The Ministry of National Development (MND) released the FY2015 Town Council Management Report (TCMR) today. The period of assessment covers April 2015 to September 2015, prior to changes to Town Councils (TCs) following General Election 2015. MND will not be publishing a TCMR for the period October 2015 to March 2016, as most TCs were in the process of handing over properties to each other, and accountability for results during this transitional period would be unclear.
TCs were assessed under four indicators, using three colour bands. Assessment was based on measurable objective criteria submitted by the TCs.
Most TCs have performed well in all areas, although some TCs could do better in the areas of Estate Maintenance, and Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) Arrears Management.
Results of the FY2015 TCMR
The results of the FY2015 TCMR, covering the period April 2015 to September 2015, are summarised below. More details can be found at Annex A and Annex B.
Estate Maintenance
Estate maintenance remains an area for improvement. 11 TCs scored “Amber” under this category.
The obstruction of common areas remains the top estate maintenance issue, accounting for 36% of the total maintenance observations in FY2015 (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 by not cluttering up the common passageways. By working together as a community, TCs and residents can improve the living environment in HDB estates, while ensuring that the residents’ safety is not compromised.
S&CC Arrears Management
Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC)’s S&CC Arrears Management score is pending the outcome of KPMG’s review. Although the TC has confirmed that the reports were prepared in accordance to MND’s requirements, MND notes that the TC’s accountants, KPMG[1], has made the following observations in its report dated 13 May 2016:
a) The balances in the TC’s accounts receivables sub-ledger as at 31 Mar 2015, which were prepared by an external consultant, do not match with the trial balances for the same period; and
b) KPMG had compared the accounts receivable sub-ledger, used by the TC to calculate S&CC arrears attributable to the Sinking Fund, to the numbers in the FY14/15 audited financial statements, and they did not match. The TC is investigating the reasons for the difference.
MND will continue to monitor KMPG’s monthly reports to see whether further assessments are made on the accuracy of the TC’s S&CC arrears reports.
Potong Pasir Town Council (PPTC) is banded “Amber”, the same as FY2014.
Enquiries and Feedback
Members of the public can learn more about the TCMR at the TownCouncils.sg website at www.towncouncils.sg. Residents can also provide their feedback to tcmr_feedback@mailbox.hdb.gov.sg or directly to their TC.
[1] KPMG has been appointed by the TC, pursuant to an order given by the Court of Appeal, to look into the TC’s outstanding non-compliances of section 35(c) of the TCs Act and to establish if any past payments made by the TC were improperly made and ought to be recovered. KPMG had, in its first two monthly progress reports dated 15 Apr 2016 and 13 May 2016, highlighted that the TC’s S&CC arrears management and reporting was one of the 15 audit points which the TC had yet to resolve.