All town councils except Ang Mo Kio receive top governance rating in MND report

SINGAPORE: Sixteen of Singapore’s 17 town councils achieved the top green rating for corporate governance in the latest management report released by the Ministry of National Development (MND) on 18 December 2025.

The assessment covered the pre-General Election period for the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025, before the General Election held on 3 May 2025.

Ang Mo Kio Town Council was the only council to receive an amber rating for corporate governance in FY2024, according to the report.

Late publication of re-appointments cited as first lapse

MND said the amber rating was due to two cases of administrative oversight that were subsequently rectified and assessed as low-severity observations.

The first oversight involved the town council’s failure to publish changes to its re-appointed vice-chairperson and members in the Government Gazette by the statutory deadline.

This requirement is mandated under the Town Councils Act, and the re-appointments were published after the deadline had passed, MND said.

The second oversight related to delays in completing required fund transfers to the Lift Replacement Fund and Sinking Fund bank accounts.

The transfers for the first quarter of FY2024 were not completed by the statutory deadline, as required under the Town Councils Financial Rules, but were later made.

“As the non-compliances were cases of administrative oversight that have since been rectified, they were considered as two low-severity observations,” MND said in the report.

As a result of the two observations, Ang Mo Kio Town Council scored one point for its corporate governance indicator and was placed in the amber band.

Corporate governance assessments are given using three colour bands — green, amber and red.

Points are assigned based on the severity of observations, with higher points reflecting more serious governance issues.

Ang Mo Kio Town Council manages Housing Board estates in Ang Mo Kio GRC, Kebun Baru SMC and Yio Chu Kang SMC.

Members of Parliament during the assessed period included Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Dr Darryl David, Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Ms Ng Ling Ling and Mr Gan Thiam Poh, as well as Mr Henry Kwek for Kebun Baru and Mr Yip Hon Weng for Yio Chu Kang.

Other town councils, including WP-run Sengkang TC, record minor non-compliance but retain green ratings

Three other town councils — Nee Soon, Pasir Ris-Punggol and The Workers' Party-run Sengkang TC — each recorded one instance of non-compliance with the Town Councils Act.

However, MND assessed these cases as low-severity and maintained their green ratings.

Each of the three councils scored 0.5 points after failing to obtain prior consent from the Housing and Development Board before commencing works on common property.

MND said retrospective consent was subsequently sought and granted by HDB in all three cases.

HDB consent lapses resolved retrospectively

For each council, the ministry said: “As the non-compliance was a first-time administrative oversight that has since been rectified, it was considered as a low-severity observation.”

Overall, MND noted that all town councils generally reported financial surpluses for FY2024.

“By maintaining a sustainable financial position, town councils can continue to carry out more town improvement projects that benefit residents,” the ministry said.

MND added that the government will continue to monitor town councils’ financial positions and work with them to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Operational performance remains strong across all councils

The governance report is the second instalment of MND’s annual two-part town council management report.

The first instalment, released on 13 June 2025, focused on operational performance across four indicators: estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance and service and conservancy charges arrears management.

In that operational report, all town councils received green ratings across all four indicators for the second consecutive year.