All town councils get top ratings for governance except AMK, in last MND review before GE2025
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Ang Mo Kio Town Council received an amber rating, the second band out of three, as it had two administrative oversights.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
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SINGAPORE – All town councils, except Ang Mo Kio, received a green rating for their corporate governance in the latest town council management report.
Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) received an amber rating, the second band out of three, as it had two administrative oversights, said the Ministry of National Development (MND) on Dec 18.
It did not publish the changes to its re-appointed vice-chairperson and members in the Government e-Gazette by the statutory deadline. It also did not complete the required funds transfers to two of its bank accounts, including its sinking fund, by the statutory deadline for the first quarter of the 2024 financial year.
The town council retrospectively published the changes and transferred the funds, noted the report, which covered the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025.
The latest report was the last performance review of 17 town councils ahead of the 2025 General Election, which was held on May 3.
Two new town councils have since been formed
In giving AMKTC an amber rating, MND had identified two instances of non-compliance with the Town Councils Act and the Town Councils Financial Rules. AMKTC covered estates in Ang Mo Kio GRC and Kebun Baru and Yio Chu Kang SMCs.
“As the non-compliances were cases of administrative oversight that have since been rectified, they were considered as two low-severity observations,” said MND in the report. The lowest possible performance band is red.
Kebun Baru MP Henry Kwek, who chairs AMKTC, said clearer and more stringent processes have been put in place to prevent the lapses from occurring again.
“We take this seriously and have reviewed our standard operating procedures to address the lapses and strengthen our processes to meet the standards expected of AMKTC,” said Mr Kwek. He added that the town council “remains committed to upholding high standards of governance, diligence, and operational discipline”.
Three other town councils – Nee Soon, Pasir Ris-Punggol and Sengkang – were flagged for not obtaining the Housing Board’s consent prior to commencing works on common property. HDB’s retrospective consent was sought and given. As all these infractions were of low severity, the town councils were still banded green, stated the report.
MND also found that all town councils generally reported surpluses for the 2024 financial year.
“By maintaining a sustainable financial position, town councils can continue to carry out more town improvement projects that benefit residents,” said MND.
It added that the Government will continue to monitor town councils’ financial positions and work with them to ensure their long-term financial sustainability.
In the 2024 report, Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council
The Dec 18 report is the second part of an annual report released by MND. The first part of the report, released mid-year, rates their performance on operations such as estate cleanliness and maintenance.
All town councils received green ratings in the June report.
