The government has released its latest Town Council Management Report and graded Workers’ Party’s Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council with the only “red” grade in the entire report.
Worker’s party received “red” in the area of collecting Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) as it had more than 5% of households which were in arrears for more than 3 months.
The report was released today (21 Nov) and was an assessment of the 15 town councils in Singapore for their performance for 1 year ending in March 2013.
For full background story refer to: MND REPORT CARD: ONLY WP’S TOWN COUNCIL GETS "RED" GRADE FOR S&CC ARREARS
Below is Worker's Party full statement on this issue:
TOWN COUNCIL MANAGEMENT REVIEW PUBLISHED 21 NOV 2013
The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) notes that MND has rated our town council comparably with the other town councils in the areas of Estate Cleanliness, Estate Maintenance and Lift Performance in the latest Town Council Management Report (TCMR). We also note that AHPETC is banded red for S&CC Arrears Management and has a ‘pending’ remark for Corporate Governance.
In the area of S&CC Arrears Management, we are closely monitoring the situation and have initiated several steps to recover the outstanding arrears since 2012. We have stepped up enforcement measures including court prosecution where other measures have failed. We are processing the arrears cases in batches. While some residents can settle their arrears within a short period of time, others may need more time to do so and we have assisted them with instalment plans. Improving the arrears situation is an ongoing process and will take time to effect.
In the area of Corporate Governance, our banding is listed as ‘pending’ mainly because our auditors are still in the midst of finalising our FY12 financial statements. We understand that the issues being addressed include complexities resulting from the handover legacy, classification and treatment issues, year-end adjustments, and others. We appointed the auditors in early May 2013 and we hope the audit will be completed soon.
Going forward, AHPETC will continue to work hard to provide a pleasant living environment for our residents.
SYLVIA LIM
CHAIRMAN
ALJUNIED-HOUGANG-PUNGGOL EAST TOWN COUNCIL