Workers’ Party may need to look for alternative Punggol East town council site

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/where-will-wp-house-punggol-east-town-council

The Workers’ Party (WP) may need to look for an alternative site to locate its town council office in Punggol East, because the existing town council office in the constituency — at Block 156A, Rivervale Crescent — will continue to be used by the People’s Action Party (PAP)-run Pasir Ris-Punggol town council for at least another six months while the ruling party looks for another site of its own.

According to Pasir Ris-Punggol town council Chairman Zainal Sapari, this is because the town council — which used to serve the residents of both Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and the Punggol East single seat ward when it was helmed by the PAP, would still need at least two offices to serve the residents of the GRC, as is the case with other GRCs.

Mr Zainal, nevertheless, said his town council will vacate its Rivervale Crescent office once it is able to find an alternate site in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and the search will take “at least six months”.

Stressing that the handover of the Punggol East ward will be “smooth”, Mr Zainal cited the matter as one of two issues — the other is the transfer of town council funds — that have to be discussed with the WP.

He also assured that the town council funds will be allocated back to Punggol East Town Council “in a transparent way”, as items such as the operating fund is calculated based on per unit household.

Mr Zainal, who had a meeting with town council staff yesterday, also said that the employees who were looking after the Punggol East ward — there are fewer than 10 of them — will be absorbed by the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council’s managing agent, E M Services. The WP is expected to appoint its own managing agent.