Aljunied-Hougang Town Council not raising S&C charges
By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 28 July 2012 1944 hrs
SINGAPORE: The Aljunied-Hougang Town Council said it has no plans to raise Service and Conservancy (S&C) charges but is monitoring costs very closely.
The town council, which manages the opposition-held Hougang Single Member Constituency and Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, said this in a statement on its website on Saturday.
It said it's mindful that in the current inflationary environment, residents are also facing cost increases.
However, chairman of the town council, Ms Sylvia Lim, said it's also affected by escalating electricity tariffs and higher cleaning costs.
She said the Lift Upgrading Programme also has long-term implications on current and future sinking funds as well as routine operating costs.
Ms Lim, who's also the chairman of The Workers' Party, said the town council still needs to recover its expenditure through the collection of S&C charges if costs continue to escalate.
She said the town council will first try to exhaust all means to reduce expenditure through being more efficient.
On Friday, seven town councils announced they'll increase S&C charges from September.
They are: Bishan-Toa Payoh, Chua Chu Kang, East Coast, Holland-Bukit Panjang, Tanjong Pagar, Tampines and West Coast town councils.
- CNA/ck