LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM in Singapore SINGAPORE SUMMARY Singapore Is a Democratic Parliamentary Republic with No Local Government

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COUNTRY PROFILE 2017–18 THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM IN singapore SINGAPORE SUMMARY Singapore is a democratic parliamentary republic with no local government.

1. NATIONAL GOVERNMENT The plan is driven by the vision of an Singapore is a democratic parliamentary inclusive, highly liveable, economically republic city state.40.1a The head of state vibrant and green home for all is the non-executive president who is Singaporeans. There are six key areas of directly elected for a term of six years. focus: housing, the economy, recreation, The head of government is the prime identity, transport and public spaces. minister, who is the leader of the majority party and is appointed by the 3. STRUCTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT president. Cabinet is appointed by the 3.1 Local government within the state president on the advice of the prime There is no local government in minister from amongst members of Singapore. There are however the unicameral parliament. Parliament five community development consists of 84 popularly elected councils (CDCs) which provide local members (MPs), elected either from administration. Each is governed by a the nine single-member constituencies board of between 12 and 20 members, or the 14 group representation including a mayor. The boards are constituencies. A further six may be responsible for initiating, planning and nominated to parliament with speaking managing community programmes rights and voting rights on all resolutions and encouraging regional civil society not pertaining to finances or the activity. The CDCs provide various constitution. Elections are based on community and social assistance universal suffrage of those over 21 years of services delegated from the ministries. age. Following the 2015 national election, Singapore also uses two concurrent 23.8% of MPs were women.40.1b sets of sub-divisions: electoral divisions consisting of 23 constituencies and 2. LEGAL BASIS FOR 84 wards, and administrative divisions KEY FACTS LOCAL GOVERNMENT known as urban planning areas. Of the 2.1 Constitutional provisions constituencies, five have six wards, nine POPULATION: (2017 estimate): There is no constitutional provision for have five wards and nine consist of a 5,612,300 local government.40.2 single ward. AREA (UN 2006): 710 sq km 3.2 Ministerial oversight 2.2 Main legislative texts CAPITAL: Singapore There are no legislative provisions for The Ministry of National Development local government. oversees community development CURRENCY: Singapore dollar (SGD) councils.40.3b HEAD OF STATE: 2.3 Proposed legislative changes President Halimah Yacob No legislative changes are currently 3.3 Council types

proposed. 3.3.1 Community development councils HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong No information available. 2.4 National urban policy FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Singapore’s ‘Master Plan 2014’ was democratic parliamentary republic published on 6 June 2014. PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM: unicameral STATE STRUCTURE: city state LANGUAGES: English (official), Malay Table 40.1a Distribution of urban planning areas and population (national language), Mandarin and Tamil (recognised) Region No. of urban Population Population planning areas (2010 Census) (2017 estimate) NATIONAL ELECTIONS: Central 24 929,082 na general: last: 2015, turnout: na; next: 2020

East 6 692,290 na presidential: last: 2017, turnout: na; next: 2023 North 7 504,920 na WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT (2015): 23.8% North-East 7 747,216 na LOCAL ELECTIONS: West 11 893,739 na there is no elected local government

Total resident population - 3,767,247 3,965,800 WOMEN COUNCILLORS: na Approximate non-resident population – 1,305,000 1,646,500 LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE Approximate total population 55 5,076,700 5,612,300 as a percentage of total government expenditure 2016/17: na Source: 2010 Census and Department of Statistics Singapore40.3a

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4. ELECTIONS 9.4 Loans REFERENCES AND USEFUL WEBSITES 4.1 Recent local elections, 4.2 Voting No information is available 40.1a Government of Singapore system, and 4.3 Elected representatives www.gov.sg There are no elected local governments 9.5 Local authority staff 40.1b Inter-Parliamentary Union 40.4 in Singapore. Not applicable. ‘Women in national parliaments‘ www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm 4.4 Women’s representation 10. DISTRIBUTION OF SERVICE 40.2 Constitution of Singapore No information on women’s DELIVERY RESPONSIBILITY http://statutes.agc.gov.sg representation on the community 10.1 Overview of local government 40.3a Singapore statistics office development councils available. service delivery responsibility www.singstat.gov.sg Not applicable. 40.3b Ministry of National Development http://app.mnd.gov.sg/AboutUs/ 5. SYSTEMS FOR Introduction.aspx COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 10.2 ICT use in service delivery 40.4 Elections Department 5.1 Legal requirement and 5.2 No information is available. www.eld.gov.sg Implementation 40.5 No reference for this section No information is available. 10.3 The role of local government 40.6 No reference for this section in achieving the UN Sustainable 40.7 No reference for this section 5.3 ICT use in citizen engagement Development Goals (SDGs) 40.8 No reference for this section No information is available. Singapore will be launching a new 40.9 No reference for this section Sustainable Development Programme under the Singapore Cooperation 40.10a Singapore reveals new 6. ORGANISED LOCAL GOVERNMENT Programme (SCP), a long-running sustainable development Not applicable. initiative that conducts 300 courses for programme at UN summit 7,000 officials from developing countries www.gov.sg/news/content/ 7. INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS each year.40.10a The new programme today-online---singapore-reveals- new-sustainable-development- Not applicable. will offer leadership training and work with UN bodies on development plans programme-at-un-summit and solutions for the developing world. 40.10b Global Centre for Public 8. MONITORING SYSTEMS The new Sustainable Development Service Excellence www.undp. No information is available. Programme will offer leadership org/content/undp/en/home/ programmes on good governance and ourwork/global-policy-centres/ 9. FINANCE, STAFFING AND RESOURCES public sector institutions in partnership publicservice.html 9.1 Local government expenditure with the UNDP Global Centre for Public 40.11a UN statistics surface area Service Excellence.40.10b It will also http://unstats.un.org/unsd/ No information is available on CDCs’ cooperate with UN-Habitat to roll out a demographic/products/dyb/ expenditure as a proportion of total multi-year programme on sustainable dyb2006/Table03.pdf government expenditure. cities and urbanisation for 100 cities 40.11b Commonwealth Local from the developing world, and will work Government knowledge hub 9.2 Locally raised revenue with partners such as the United Nations www.clgf.org.uk/resource-centre/ CDCs have no revenue-raising powers. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN-Water knowledge-hub to provide training and consultancy 40.11c UNDP HDR Singapore country 9.3 Transfers on water and sanitation solutions for profile http://hdr.undp.org/en/ countries in need. No information is available countries/profiles/SGP

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Annex 40a Summary of service provision in different spheres of government in Singapore

Delivering authority

Services Central government Urban planning areas Remarks GENERAL ADMINISTRATION Police n Fire protection n Civil protection n Criminal justice n Civil status register n Statistical office n Electoral register n EDUCATION Pre-school (kindergarten and nursery) n Primary n Secondary n Vocational and technical n Higher education n Adult education n SOCIAL WELFARE Family welfare services n Welfare homes n Social security n PUBLIC HEALTH Primary care n Hospitals n Health protection n HOUSING AND TOWN PLANNING Housing n Town planning n Regional planning n TRANSPORT Roads n Transport n Urban roads n Urban rail n Ports n Airports n ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC SANITATION Water and sanitation n Refuse collection and disposal n Cemeteries and crematoria n Slaughterhouses n Environmental protection n Consumer protection n CULTURE, LEISURE AND SPORTS Theatres and concerts n Museums and libraries n Parks and open spaces n Sports and leisure facilities n Religious facilities UTILITIES Gas services n District heating n Water supply n Electricity n ECONOMIC Agriculture, forests and fisheries n Local economic development/promotion n Trade and industry n Tourism n

n sole responsibility service n joint responsibility service n discretionary service