• Town Councils were formed in 1989 under the Town Councils Act, which allowed elected Members of Parliament to work with residents in managing the common property in housing estates. Members of the Parliament have the authority and responsibility to manage HDB residential estates under the Single Member Constituencies or Group Representation Constituencies which they are elected to, while residents can also participate in decision-making processes. The participation of both parties will enable each town to develop its own distinctive characteristics, while building a sense of identity among residents.
• The first Town Council was established in Ang Mo Kio Town, and later fully implemented across Singapore in three phases from mid-1989 to mid-1991. Currently, there are 16 Town Councils managing the common property of housing estates across the island.
• Town Councils handle a wide range of tasks, which include regular maintenance and upgrading of common property in the housing estates. Besides that, they are also responsible for managing the town’s finances to ensure that there are sufficient funds for the operation of the Council.

The Sembawang Town Council will invest $33 million to replace 280 lifts for 135 blocks of flats in the next two years at no cost to the residents, which will benefit 12,600 households. （Lianhe Wanbao, 9/8/2018）