Electricity tariffs 9.3% lower till year end

Households can now pay less for their electricity bills with tariffs dropping by 9.3 per cent till year end.

This is a decrease of 2.06 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh) compared with the previous quarter because of the lower cost of gas for electricity generation.

The electricity tariff for households will be revised to 20.35 cents per kwh for the fourth quarter of this year.

With this drop, the average monthly electricity bill for families living in four-room Housing Board flats is estimated to fall by $8.78.

Two Merlion statues to undergo restoration

The two Merlion statues at the Merlion Park will undergo restoration this month and next, the Singapore Tourism Board said yesterday.

Works will be carried out to restore their water features, starting with the Merlion cub from next Thursday to Nov 17, followed by the main Merlion statue from Nov 3 to 26.

During the restoration period, both statues will be boarded up and will not be available for photo-taking.

MND to continue getting public feedback: Minister

On his first day as Minister for National Development, Mr Lawrence Wong pledged to continue the ministry's practice of gathering public feedback.

In a post on the Housing Matters blog by the Ministry of National Development (MND), he cited Jurong Lake District as one project where the MND has been gathering ideas and feedback.

Mr Wong, formerly the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, also praised the work of his predecessor, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, in achieving a soft landing for a once-heated housing market.

Yesterday, flash estimates for the third quarter showed public and private housing resale prices falling 0.3 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively.

Mr Wong also declared a new focus: Improving Housing Board towns built in the 1970s and 1980s "to meet changing needs".