New town councils formed in Jalan Kayu and Punggol after GE2025, bringing the total to 19

SINGAPORE – Two new town councils have been formed in Jalan Kayu and Punggol after the 2025 General Election.

In a statement on May 30, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said it issued an order under the Town Councils Act on the same day to put into effect the formation of a total of 19 town councils, set up at the request of the MPs.

There were 17 of them previously.

Jalan Kayu Town Council covers only the single-member constituency

won by the PAP’s Mr Ng Chee Meng at the May 3 polls

against the WP’s Mr Andre Low.

Mr Ng, who is secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, will chair it.

Punggol Town Council covers the corresponding group representation constituency, which was won by the PAP.

Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development, told The Straits Times that she will chair the new town council. Two of her fellow Punggol GRC MPs, Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary and Ms Yeo Wan Ling, will be vice-chairs.

The last time a town council was formed with just one SMC was after the 2011 General Election, where PAP candidate Sitoh Yih Pin wrested back the Potong Pasir single seat from the Singapore People’s Party. Mr Sitoh ran the town council on his own till 2015, when the constituency was grouped under Jalan Besar Town Council after the election that year.

Under the Town Councils Act, a town can be declared as an area comprising a single constituency or up to three constituencies, where the MPs agree to declare the constituencies as a town. There are 33 constituencies in total.

The Jalan Kayu single seat was carved out of Ang Mo Kio GRC before the 2025 election.

Ang Mo Kio Town Council previously served the GRC, before Jalan Kayu was carved out, as well as its neighbouring Yio Chu Kang and Kebun Baru SMCs.

With the latest order, Kebun Baru MP Henry Kwek will chair Ang Mo Kio Town Council, with Minister of State for Education and Digital Development and Information Jasmin Lau and Mr Darryl David as vice-chairs.

In a statement from the Ang Mo Kio and Jalan Kayu town councils, Mr Kwek said Jalan Kayu will continue to be part of the “extended Ang Mo Kio family”.

“Ang Mo Kio Town Council will work closely together with Jalan Kayu Town Council, so that we can enjoy economies of scale and secure the best services and rates for our residents,” he said.

“In addition, we will continue to co-organise signature events, so that our residents can come together and enjoy these festivities as one Ang Mo Kio family.”

Mr Ng assured Jalan Kayu residents that there would be no disruption to their municipal services nor will there be any changes in service and conservancy charges as a result of the town council changes.

He said the current managing agent, CPG Facilities Management, will continue to serve Jalan Kayu for the time being.

“We are also reviewing the development plans of Jalan Kayu town and look forward to sharing some exciting updates with residents in August,” he added.

Jalan Kayu Town Council will announce its permanent location once confirmed, said the statement. In the meantime, residents can continue to visit the Fernvale office at Block 410 Fernvale Road.

Earlier in May, Mr Ng said he had

asked Prime Minister Lawrence Wong not to assign him any ministerial position

, as he wanted to focus on his duties as Jalan Kayu MP and his role as labour chief.

MND said the other town councils include 12 that are reconstituted owing to electoral boundary changes and five with unchanged town boundaries.

Among the 12 reconstituted town councils, four have been renamed.

Jurong-Clementi Town Council will now be Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council.

And in line with changes to the names of the GRCs they will serve, Marine Parade Town Council will be Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council; Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will be Pasir Ris-Changi Town Council; and West Coast Town Council will be West Coast-Jurong West Town Council.

The eight other reconstituted town councils will keep their names: Aljunied-Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Chua Chu Kang, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Panjang, Jalan Besar, Tampines, and Tanjong Pagar.

And the five town councils with the same town boundaries will continue with their original names: Bishan-Toa Payoh, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Nee Soon, Sembawang and Sengkang.

MND said the town councils have up to 90 days from the date of the order to complete the handover and take over the management of the areas to be transferred.

Those affected – the two new town councils and 12 reconstituted ones – will then take over running the new areas from Aug 1.

The town councils can mutually agree to complete the handover and takeover process earlier if they wish, said MND. The ministry also encouraged all town councils to work together to ensure a smooth transition, so that the needs of residents can continue to be served.

The formation of the town councils comes nearly a month after the polls, where the incumbents retained all their seats. This means no town council will be changing hands between political parties.