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PUBLIC CONSULTATION TO DEVELOP A TOWN COUNCIL MANAGEMENT
REPORT FRAMEWORK COMMENCES

1      The Ministry of National Development (MND) announced today that it would be seeking expert and public views on developing a Town Council management report framework.

Background
2      In December 2008, MND announced its intention to provide HDB residents with objective information on key areas of Town Council management. In this way, residents can be better informed about their estate, as well as understand better some of the challenges and trade-offs involved in managing their town.

3      Over the last few months, MND/HDB have drafted a preliminary Town Council Management Report (TCMR) framework, and also built up the necessary corporate resources and capacity in preparation for the release of the Report. In order to finalise the TCMR, MND/HDB will be consulting with various stakeholders and the public to seek their views and inputs on the various possible indicators.

Multi-Pronged Consultation Process
4      To kick-start the consultation process, MND/HDB met with all 16 Town Councils in Singapore. Next, starting from end June 2009, MND/HDB will invite HDB residents and other representatives from the Town Councils to three dialogue sessions to hear their views on the TCMR. Each dialogue session will focus on a specific theme:

1. Cleanliness;
2. Maintenance; and
3. Financial management

5      In addition, MND/HDB will seek independent expert views from an industry resource panel as well as widen the consultation outreach through an online survey. Details will be announced at a later date.

6      The pilot TCMR framework is expected to be ready for announcement by end September 2009.  The first set of results based on the TCMR framework is expected in 2010.

An Evolving Process
7      Commenting on the proposed Town Council Management Report, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Ms Grace Fu said,"The 16 Town Councils manage almost 900,000 HDB flats. The different town councils oversee different profiles of residents and flat types with differing needs and preferences. The Town Councils do not have the same start-point.  It is therefore not easy to compare Town Councils on the same scale. For the TCMR, we will start by looking at the bread-and-butter functions that underpin all Town Councils, such as cleanliness and maintenance. The TCMR will no doubt evolve over time. The ultimate objective is for the residents to be better informed, so that they can play a part in shaping our housing estates into a more pleasant place for all to live in."

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Last updated on 11 June, 2009