The official opening ceremony of the Sengkang Town Council (SKTC)’s new branch office, which is operated by the Workers’ Party, was held on 18 March 2023.

The event was graced by invited guests from the council, representatives from the public service, and community partners.

During the ceremony, Ms He Ting Ru, Chair of SKTC, delivered a speech in which she expressed gratitude to the council’s valued partners for their support in the establishment of the new office. She highlighted the significance of the milestone for the relatively young town council, established in 2020.

In addition to Ms He’s speech, there were also various performances by local performers, as well as a guided tour of the new office. Attendees were treated to refreshments and had the opportunity to interact with SKTC officials and community partners.

Associate Professor Jamus Lim, Ms He Tingru and Mr Louis Chua

The opening of the new branch office marks an important step for SKTC in bringing its services closer to residents and offering greater convenience.

The town council is also implementing a single new Essential Maintenance and Service Unit (EMSU) hotline – a 24-hour service that will attend to emergency and maintenance requests. SKTC inherited two separate EMSU service providers, which resulted in two different hotlines, following its formation from parts of Ang Mo Kio Town Council and Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council.

The transition to a new hotline, 6590 9777, will come into effect on 1 April 2023 and will attend to all Sengkang residents across the town.

Other developments include the ongoing work to install electrical vehicle charging stations in the town and piloting digital engagements such as the survey and announcement feature of the OneService application by the Municipal Service Office.

SKTC will also continue to hold quarterly Sengkang Conversations led by the Sengkang Members of Parliament, a town hall event for residents to voice concerns on issues affecting the community.

Following the departure of CPG Facilities Management, Anchorvale division has been under direct management since 1 November 2021, with Buangkok, Compassvale, and Rivervale divisions subsequently directly managed with the departure of EM Services.

As announced in May 2022, SKTC has been working on transitioning into direct management of Sengkang Town, with recruitment for the direct management team beginning as early as the second half of 2022.

SKTC has earlier shared that it had recruited experienced and suitable individuals, including employees from both CPG Facilities Management and EM Services, for its town management works. Existing contractors will also continue to provide their services in the various divisions, and there will be no disruption to their day-to-day operations.

The direct management of Sengkang Town follows a similar situation that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) faced when the Workers’ Party won the GRC in 2011.

The previous Managing Agent declined to continue its services, and AHPETC had to turn to FM Solutions & Services Pte Ltd (FMSS) for a temporary measure. Similarly, SKTC did not receive any bids for its MA tender on 29 April last year.

WP’s decision to use FMSS as their Managing Agent sparked a series of actions from the ruling People’s Action Party and had its town councillors embroiled in a lengthy lawsuit that concluded last year, with the councillors largely exonerated from their charges.

In 2015, AHPETC ceased to be managed by a Managing Agent and became a directly-managed town council.

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