The Workers' Party will be applying to merge the town council operations of Punggol East with its existing Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), said Punggol East MP-elect Lee Li Lian and WP chairman Sylvia Lim on Thursday.

The merger will allow the new Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council to benefit from economies of scale and cost savings, said Ms Lee and Ms Lim in a statement. The new town council will manage the wards of all seven WP MPs in all, making it one of the largest councils in Singapore.

They added that Ms Lee's ward will be able to draw on AHTC's experience and resources in town council management. For instance, the AHTC standing committees, helmed by the WP MPs, will be able to offer advice on issues like the calling and awarding of contracts, financial matters and estate maintenance.