SINGAPORE: All town councils have scored “green” – the highest of three ratings – for all indicators for the first time in the latest operational report released by the Ministry of National Development (MND) on Thursday (Jun 27).
The report covering the financial year from April 2023 to March 2024 assesses town councils across four operational indicators – estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance, and service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears management.
Assessments are given using three colour bands – green, amber and red.
In response to CNA queries, MND said the achievement underscores the town councils’ “continued efforts in the upkeep of their towns”.
For FY2022, Sengkang Town Council received an amber rating for S&CC arrears management. The other 16 town councils were in the green band for the category.
All 17 town councils scored green in the other three indicators in FY2022.
Sengkang Town Council also received an amber rating in the S&CC arrears management category for FY2021, together with Chua Chu Kang Town Council and Jurong-Clementi Town Council.
An amber rating is given when a town council has 40 per cent to less than 60 per cent of the monthly collectable S&CC for the town overdue for three months or more or if between four and less than six in 100 households in the town owe arrears for three months or more.
To get a green rating, town councils must have an overdue monthly S&CC of less than 40 per cent for three months or more and fewer than four in 100 households should owe arrears for three months or more.
Sengkang Town Council told CNA previously that it had been working “very closely” with its residents to manage the collection of monthly S&CC.
It added that it was focused on “designing repayment schemes that are practicable for our residents, taking into account … their personal circumstances as well as the economic environment”.
CNA has contacted Sengkang Town Council for comment.
OTHER INDICATORS
To be given a green rating for estate cleanliness or maintenance, town councils must have fewer than four counts of cleanliness or maintenance observations per block on average.
According to the report, assessments were made based on observations such as the presence of stains, litter, bulky refuse and graffiti.
Obstructions in common areas, unauthorised fixtures and damaged walls were also taken into account.
For lift performance, town councils must ensure that there are fewer than two lift faults per 10 lifts each month, and less than one hour of downtime per lift each month, to score a green rating.
The assessment is based on the frequency of faults measured by the Tele-Monitoring System and the duration of the downtime resulting in such faults. The issues picked up by this system include problems with the opening and closing of lift doors as well as non-functioning buttons.
MND first introduced the Town Council Management Report (TCMR) in 2009.
The ministry said the TCMR has been split into two reports since FY2021. The report covering operational indicators is published in the mid-year period while the report covering the corporate governance indicator is published at the end of the year.
“This allows for more focused and timely reporting on the different aspects of TCs’ work. The report on the operational indicators is issued two to three months after the conclusion of the financial year when the information is ready,” said MND.
The corporate governance indicator is published in the year-end period as the town councils’ audited financial statements, which are required for the indicator, are only submitted to the ministry in end-September each year.
