Community Development Council
A Community Development Council (abbreviation: CDC; Chinese: 社区发展理事会; Malay: Majlis Pembangunan Masyarakat; Tamil: சமூக மேம்பாட்டு மன்றம்) is a government-led program to organize grassroot organisations and community programs into smaller, local units as a bridge between the government and the community in Singapore. It encourages volunteerism from wider community, and organizes community and social assistance programs with the help of a monetary grant from the government. They are governed by the Community Development Council Rules 1997.
Organisation
There are currently five Community Development Councils as of 2 October 2015:[1]
Community Development Council | Constituencies | Electorate (2015) | |
---|---|---|---|
Constituency | CDC | ||
Central Singapore | Ang Mo Kio GRC | 187,771 | 627,470 |
Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC | 129,975 | ||
Jalan Besar GRC | 102,540 | ||
Tanjong Pagar GRC | 130,752 | ||
Potong Pasir SMC | 17,407 | ||
Radin Mas SMC | 28,906 | ||
Sengkang West SMC | 30,119 | ||
North East | Aljunied GRC | 148,142 | 537,619 |
Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC | 187,396 | ||
Tampines GRC | 143,518 | ||
Hougang SMC | 24,097 | ||
Punggol East SMC | 34,466 | ||
North West | Holland–Bukit Timah GRC | 91,607 | 415,409 |
Nee Soon GRC | 148,290 | ||
Sembawang GRC | 142,459 | ||
Bukit Panjang SMC | 33,053 | ||
South East | East Coast GRC | 99,118 | 321,443 |
Marine Parade GRC | 146,244 | ||
Fengshan SMC | 23,427 | ||
MacPherson SMC | 28,511 | ||
Mountbatten SMC | 24,143 | ||
South West | Chua Chu Kang GRC | 119,931 | 453,026 |
Jurong GRC | 130,498 | ||
West Coast GRC | 99,300 | ||
Bukit Batok SMC | 27,077 | ||
Hong Kah North SMC | 28,145 | ||
Pioneer SMC | 25,458 | ||
Yuhua SMC | 22,617 |
The council boundaries follow that of the existing political divisions, with each handling between four and six GRCs and SMCs and roughly dividing the country's population into equal parts. Each CDC is managed by a Council, which in turn is headed by a mayor and has between 12 and 80 members. The members are appointed by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the People's Association.
Funding
The CDCs are funded by an annual sum from the government directly proportionate to the number of residents living within their jurisdiction at a rate of S$1 per person. They are free to conduct their own fund-raising programs, which the government will match S$3 for every S$1 raised, up to a cap of S$40 million a year from 2018 financial year.[2] Previously, the cap was S$24 million a year. The government also pays for the councils' operational costs, including that for its offices.
References
- "People's Association (Community Development Councils) Rules". Singapore Statutes Online. 2 October 2015.
- "Singapore Budget 2018: Tax deduction scheme extended to promote the spirit of giving". The Straits Times. February 19, 2018.