Latest news with #towncouncils
Independent Singapore
01-07-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Over 950,000 eligible Singaporean households to get U-Save, S&CC rebates this July
SINGAPORE: Over 950,000 Singaporean households living in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats will receive up to S$190 in U-Save rebates and up to a month of Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates this July to help with utilities and estate upkeep charges, depending on their flat type, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a press release on Monday (June 30). The payouts are part of the permanent GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme and enhanced Assurance Package, aimed at supporting lower- to middle-income HDB households. The rebates are given out every quarter in April, July, October, and January. July's disbursement marks the second round for the financial year. Over the full financial year, eligible households can receive up to S$760 in U-Save rebates and up to 3.5 months of S&CC rebates, depending on their flat type. Eligible households do not need to take any action. The U-Save rebates will be credited directly to their utility accounts with SP Services, while the S&CC rebates will go straight into their respective town councils. Residents who want to check their eligibility for S&CC rebates can log in to My HDBPage on the HDB InfoWEB using their SingPass. /TISG Read also: Over 950,000 eligible Singaporeans to receive first U-Save and S&CC rebates this April, but netizen says it's 'temporary handouts meant to sway votes' Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Over 950,000 Singaporean households to get U-Save, S&CC rebates in July
SINGAPORE – Close to a million Singaporean Housing Board households will receive rebates to their utility and conservancy bills in July, as part of a government scheme to help them with cost of living. Depending on their HDB flat type, eligible households will receive up to $190 in U-Save rebates for their utility bills, and a maximum of a month of rebates for their service and conservancy charges (S&CC), the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on June 30. For example, people living in a four-room flat will get $150 and half a month respectively in rebates for their U-Save and S&CC. Those in one- and two-room flats will get $190 in U-Save and a month of rebates for their S&CC. The utility and S&CC rebates will be automatically credited to the eligible household's accounts with grid operator SP Services and town councils respectively. These rebates are part of a permanent GST Voucher scheme and the enhanced Assurance Package to help lower- and middle-income households cope with the increasing cost of living and increase in goods and services tax. They are disbursed every three months – in April, July, October and January – each year. In total, eligible Singaporean HDB households will receive up to $760 in U-Save rebates for the financial year from April 2025 to March 2026. Meanwhile, eligible households can expect to receive a total of up to 3.5 months of S&CC rebates in the same period. To be eligible for the U-Save rebate, there must be at least one Singaporean owner or occupier in the household if the flat is partially rented or not rented out. If the entire HDB flat is rented out, there must be at least one Singaporean tenant. Households with people who own more than one property are not eligible for U-Save rebates, said the Finance Ministry. The following households are not eligible for S&CC rebates: Those with no Singaporean flat owner or occupier in the flat Those whose flat owners or essential occupiers own or hold interest in a private property Those who have rented out the entire flat To check their eligibility for S&CC rebates, members of the public can log in to the My HDBPage with their Singpass. In its statement, the ministry also reminded members of the public that government officials will not ask them to transfer money or disclose banking details over a call. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
CNA
13-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
All town councils receive top ratings for second year running
SINGAPORE: All 17 town councils have scored "green" - the highest rating - across four indicators in the latest estate management report released by the Ministry of National Development (MND) on Friday (Jun 13), the second time in as many years. The report covered the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025. Singapore's General Election took place on May 3. Green is the top rating, followed by amber and red, and the town councils are assessed by their estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance, as well as service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears management. MND said on Friday it will not publish the estate management report for the financial year from April 2025 to March 2026. This is because the town councils were formed on May 30 following GE2025 and as such, they will "require a transition period to stabilise their operations after the handover of towns," the ministry added. "During this period, MND will continue to monitor the performance of the town councils and share our feedback with the town councils to better support their transition." The ministry said that it will resume publication of the reports from FY2026 (April 2026 to March 2027). 'This is consistent with the approach taken after GE2020,' added MND. REPORT OBSERVATIONS In terms of estate cleanliness, the ministry noted that all town councils before GE2025 scored "green" as they had less than four counts of cleanliness observations per block on average. The "green" rating applied across the board in relation to estate maintenance as these town councils had an average of under four counts of maintenance observations per block. As for lift performance, they all had less than two lift faults per 10 lifts, and less than one hour of downtime per lift each month. The frequency of faults and duration of downtime are measured by the Tele-Monitoring System. Lastly, they all had less than 40 per cent of the monthly collectible S&CC for the town overdue and fewer than four in 100 households that owed arrears for three months or more. The Town Council Management Report (TCMR) was first introduced in 2009. Assessments for estate cleanliness are made based on observations, such as the presence of stain and litter, bulky refuse, cobwebs, graffiti, moss, and faeces or bird droppings. As for estate maintenance, obstructions in common areas, storage of combustible items, unauthorised fixtures, damaged plaster/large cracks/spalling concrete and the presence of wild plants/weeds are taken into account. MND also said it will publish the corporate governance report for the period from April 2024 to March 2025 period in December, after it has received and reviewed the town councils' audited financial statements and their auditor's reports.
CNA
20-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Pigeon management plan to be rolled out in three more town councils
SINGAPORE: A pigeon management plan introduced in several town councils in a pilot programme in 2024 will be extended to three more areas. The next phase will be rolled out in Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon town councils from June for a duration of six to nine months. If successful, the plan will be scaled up across Singapore to help manage the pigeon population, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How on Tuesday (May 20). The initial pilot programme was implemented in three town council estates with large clusters of pigeons - Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar. The pilot, which was carried out from July 2024 to March 2025, saw the pigeon population in the three town councils decrease by about 50 per cent. Pigeon-related feedback within the three town councils from October 2024 to March 2025 was also about 34 per cent lower than the expected average, NParks said in an update on Tuesday. Actions such as surveillance were carried out at bird feeding hotspots, and NParks took enforcement action against 50 cases of bird feeding. Direct population control measures were also carried out to bring down the pigeon numbers. PIGEON MANAGEMENT PLAN The National Parks Board (NParks) said it worked with several government agencies, residents and members of the public on the pigeon management plan, which focused on population control, public education and community stewardship. Measures included reducing human-generated food sources and direct population control, said NParks. Under the pilot plan, NParks worked with the town councils to step up pigeon removal efforts, "with physical trapping and humane euthanasia to bring down the pigeon population at hotspots" within the areas. NParks also advised the town councils on proper removal methods and developed a set of guidelines for the use of alpha-chloralose, a substance that kills birds. NParks monitored feedback on illegal bird feeding and conducted surveillance, which included physical surveillance and the deployment of CCTV cameras at identified feeding hotspots, as well as enforcement against bird-feeding. The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) also worked with the town councils as well as other stakeholders such as the hawkers' associations, managing agent, food establishment operators and cleaning contractors to improve refuse and food waste management at bin centres and food establishments. These included ensuring non-spillage of trash between bin chutes and bin centres, as well as prompt clearance of food waste, trays and dirty crockery at tray return racks and refuse bins. Engagement and public education sessions were also conducted by SFA and NParks. During these sessions, SFA distributed educational materials on improving refuse management, housekeeping, and cleanliness practices. NParks, meanwhile, informed the public on the need to maintain the cleanliness of the environment and to refrain from feeding pigeons. It also collaborated with Active Ageing Centres to conduct sessions in the three town councils. The sessions aimed to raise awareness among the elderly on the negative impacts of bird feeding, it said. NParks reminded that it encouraged feeders to consider nature-based activities as alternatives to feeding pigeons. "These include community gardening, which creates opportunities for them to be engaged socially with others, and birdwatching, where they can observe how wild birds forage naturally without human-generated food sources," it said. It will continue working with agencies to understand the motivations of repeat offenders who feed birds. NParks will also address misconceptions and discourage them from doing so.
