AHPETC again gets worst rating in governance, S&CC arrears management

ALJUNIED-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has again been slapped with the worst banding in service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears management and corporate governance, the latest Town Council Report showed on Tuesday.

This is the fourth time in a row that the town council, led by the Workers' Party, has been banded "red" for S&CC arrears management, and the third straight time with a "red" banding for corporate governance.

There are three bandings used to assess the town councils: green, amber, and red.

The latest report covered the period of assessment between April 2014 and March 2015, which was before the General Election in September this year. Punggol East has since been carved out of the group representation constituency when the People's Action Party won the election for that single ward.

Under S&CC arrears management, AHPETC was banded "red" after failing to submit its monthly S&CC arrears report for the assessment period. The Ministry of National Development (MND), which issued the press release on the Town Council Report, said this is in spite AHPETC being granted deadline extensions. MND said it has not received most of AHPETC's S&CC arrears reports since May 2013.

Two People's Action Party (PAP)-led town councils scored an "amber" for S&CC arrears management. Both Choa Chu Kang Town Council (CCKTC) and Potong Pasir Town Council (PPTC) were banded so, with CCKTC seeing an increase in the number of S&CC overdue for at least three months. PPTC was also rated "amber" in the previous report.

In the area of corporate governance, Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council was banded "amber" on a technicality, according to MND. The town council had wrongly classified its residential rooftop antenna temporary occupation licence income under the town council's commercial property fund for fiscal 2014. This error, which emerged from faulty data migration when the town council moved to a new computer system, has been rectified.

Most town councils scored an "amber" for estate maintenance, with the obstruction of common areas a key concern, the report said.